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	 Frangipani Hawkmoth caterpillar (Pseudosphinx tetrio)
|  | Query: Black bear | Result: 568th of 620 |  | 
 
| Subject: | Frangipani Hawkmoth caterpillar (Pseudosphinx tetrio) 
 |  | Poster: | Phoby (phoby@notmyphoto.com) 
 |  |  |    | Resolution: 1536x1024
File Size: 826517 Bytes
Date: 2006:01:13 12:33:11
Upload Date: 2006:01:13 12:25:46 | 
| Frangipani hawkmoth
 Insecta (Hexapoda) > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
 Pseudosphinx tetrio (Linnaeus 1771)
 Photographer: Jim Occi, BugPics
 Descriptor: Larva(e)
 Description: This large dark silvery-gray moth pupates from the ground under the wild Frangipani Tree (Plumieria alba) and sometimes from under Allamandas (Yellow Bells), also belonging to the Apocynaceae family. The caterpiller is large, about 5 inches long and as fat as a finger. They are very conspicuous with yellow bands on the black body and has a red head, presumably as a warning signal to birds. They feed on poisonous sap, thus becoming poisonous to the birds that might be searching for food. After the leaves are stripped by the voracious caterpillars, they bury into the ground.
 
 Image Citation:
 Jim Occi, BugPics, www.forestryimages.org
 Image Use:
 This image may be copied and used, in whole or in part, for any non-profit, educational purpose provided that all reproductions bear an appropriate credit. Any commercial or other use of the image requires the written permission of the photographer or contact organization, and Forestry Images.
 
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^o^| Comments | 
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 |  |  | Guest |  |  | I find these caterpillars in Key West, fl. every few years  I have yet to see the moth. |  |  |  | Guest |  |  | I find these caterpillars in Key West, fl. every few years  I have yet to see the moth. | 
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