Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera: Limacodidae: Sibene stimulea [return to Home Page]

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Scientific name: Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera: Limacodidae: Sibene stimulea
Common Name: Saddleback Caterpillar Moth

Country: USA
State/District: MD
County: Montgomery
Date: 2001

Photographer: E. M. Barrows

Identifier: E. M. Barrows
Collector: not applicable
Location: Garden-1
Keywords: Garden-1 Saddleback Caterpillar Moth tree
Additional Information:

Figures 1–2.   Two larva on Fish-tail Palm, 1 September 2001.
Figures 3-4.   Larvae on a Hibiscus

Figures 1–2.   Two larva on Fish-tail Palm, 1 September 2001.
Figures 3-4.   Larvae on a Hibiscus leaf, 1 September 2001.
Figure 5.   The side of my hand which was slightly in pain due to a sting from a larva, 1 September 2001.   The sting did change the appearance of my skin.



          Sabine stimulea (Clements) is native to Masachusetts through Florida west through eastern Missouri and Texas (Covell 1984, 412).   It is one of the more common members of its family in eastern U.S.   Adults occur from June through July, and come to ultraviolet light.   Larvae occur from July through October.   They consume leaves of apples, asters, azaleas, blueberries, Canna indica, citrus, Corn, Crepe Myrtle, Dahlia sp., dogwoods, elms, Gladiolus sp., grapes, hollies, lilies, linden (basswood), magnolias, maples, Malvaviscus sp., oaks, palms, Prunus spp., roses, Rudbeckia fulgens, sunflowers, viburnums, and other plants (Covell 1984, Westcott 1973, personal observation).
          This moth belongs to the Limicodidae (Slug Caterpillars).   The larvae have small thoracic legs and no prolegs on their abdomens.   They move in a slug-like fashion.
          I find Saddleback Caterpillars on my garden plants every few years.   If I don’t see them first, I discover them when they sting my hands and arms.
          On 1 September 2001, I found four medium-sized larvae on leaves of my Fish-tail Palm.   They previously ate about 50% of a smaller leaf and they had moved to a larger one where they started to eat.   At 12:26 p.m., one larva stung the side of my hand, and at 12:51 p.m., a caterpillar stung me on a finger tip.   At 1:08, the stinging was almost gone from both places.   At 1:53, my finger tip hurt when I pressed on it, and at 9:30 p.m., it hurt slightly when I typed at my keyboard.
          Five large larvae were on an oak sapling.   Many light brown cocoons of braconid wasps were on the dorsal sides of three of the larvae.   These larvae rested on oak leaves.   I cut the leaves off the sapling and laid them on a table top in direct sun for to photograph them.   In about 2 minutes the Sun heated them, some braconids emerged from their cocoons, and the larvae started to crawl.



Reference

Covell, C. V., Jr.   1984.   A Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America.   Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.   496 pp.

Westcott, Cynthia.   1973.   The Gardener's Bug Book.   Fourth Edition.   Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY.   689 pp.



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Click on image to enlarge.


Scientific name: Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera: Limacodidae: Sibene stimulea
Common Name: Saddleback Caterpillar Moth

Country: USA
State/District: MD
County: Montgomery
Date: 2001

Photographer: E. M. Barrows

Identifier: E. M. Barrows
Collector: not applicable
Location: Garden-1
Keywords: Garden-1 Saddleback Caterpillar Moth tree
Additional Information:

For further information this species, please see our other Webpages on this species.

Figure 1.   A large larva, 1 September 2001.
Figure 2.   Three larvae that were feeding on oak foliage and carried cocoons of their parasitic braconid wasp, 1 September 2001.
Figure 3.   A cooled down adult, 21 June 2001.
Figure 4.   A cooled down adult, 29 June 2001.



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Click on image to enlarge.


Scientific name: Arthropoda: Insecta: Lepidoptera: Limacodidae: Sibene stimulea
Common Name: Saddleback Caterpillar Moth

Country: USA
State/District: MD
County: Montgomery
Date: 2001

Photographer: E. M. Barrows

Identifier: E. M. Barrows
Collector: not applicable
Location: Garden-1
Keywords: A Garden-1 Saddleback Caterpillar Moth tree
Additional Information:

For further information this species, please see our other Webpages on this species.

Figure 1.   An intact leaf of Fish-tail Palm.
Figure 2.   Feeding damage by larvae of the Saddleback Caterpillar Moth to another leaf of this Palm.



          Sabine stimulea (Clements) is native to Masachusetts through Florida west through eastern Missouri and Texas (Covell 1984, 412).   It is one of the more common members of its family in eastern U.S.   Adults occur from June through July, and come to ultraviolet light.   Larvae occur from July through October.   They consume leaves of apples, asters, azaleas, blueberries, Canna indica, citrus, Corn, Crepe Myrtle, Dahlia sp., dogwoods, elms, Gladiolus sp., grapes, hollies, lilies, linden (basswood), magnolias, maples, Malvaviscus sp., oaks, palms, Prunus spp., roses, Rudbeckia fulgens, sunflowers, viburnums, and other plants (Covell 1984, Westcott 1973, personal observation).
          This moth belongs to the Limicodidae (Slug Caterpillars).   The larvae have small thoracic legs and no prolegs on their abdomens.   They move in a slug-like fashion.
          I find Saddleback Caterpillars on my garden plants every few years.   If I don't see them first, I discover them when they sting my hands and arms.
          On 1 September 2001, I found four medium-sized larvae on leaves of my Fish-tail Palm.   They previously ate about 50% of a smaller leaf and they had moved to a larger one where they started to eat.   At 12:26 p.m., one larva stung the side of my hand, and at 12:51 p.m., a caterpillar stung me on a finger tip.   At 1:08, the stinging was almost gone from both places.   At 1:53, my finger tip hurt when I pressed on it, and at 9:30 p.m., it hurt slightly when I typed at my keyboard.
          Five large larvae were on an oak sapling.   Many light brown cocoons of braconid wasps were on the dorsal sides of three of the larvae.   These larvae rested on oak leaves.   I cut the leaves off the sapling and laid them on a table top in direct sun for to photograph them.   In about 2 minutes the Sun heated them, some braconids emerged from their cocoons, and the larvae started to crawl.



Reference

Covell, C. V., Jr.   1984.   A Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America.   Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.   496 pp.

Westcott, Cynthia.   1973.   The Gardener's Bug Book.   Fourth Edition.   Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY.   689 pp.



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