What is a Caterpillar?

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

All insects progress through a number of stages as the grow. For Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the stages are:
  • egg,
  • larva,
  • pupa, and
  • adult.
    • The larval stage of many insects is a grub. The larvae of insects in the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) are unusual in having extra legs. In addition to their six true legs, they have up to ten prolegs. This makes them look and behave differently from the larvae of other orders of insects, so they have the special name : Caterpillars.

    only six legs:
    not a Caterpillar, but a
    Sawfly larva:
    Perga dorsalis
    six + fourteen = twenty legs:
    not a Caterpillar:
    different Sawfly larva
    (Photo: courtesy of Jenni Horsnell,
    Wagga Wagga)
    six + ten = sixteen legs:
    a true Caterpillar:
    a Lepidoptera larva:
    Helicoverpa punctigera

    Thus some Caterpillars turn into butterflies, but most turn into moths, as in Australia there are only about 400 species of butterflies whereas there are over 10,000 species of moths. Many Caterpillars also appear to turn into flies or wasps, but that is because they have been parasitised by the grubs of these insects.

    Link to
    Frequently Asked Questions about Caterpillars

    Australian
    Australian Butterflies
    butterflies
    Australian
    home
    caterpillars
    Australian
    Australian Moths
    moths

    (updated 12 January 2012)