Talk:Caterpillar
From Academic Kids
Possibly useful bits from a dup:
"By Don Herbison-Evans
Did you know:
Caterpillars have several thousand muscles (humans only have about 500)
Caterpillars from the family TORTRICIDAE can move backwards faster than they can move forwards.
Caterpillars from most species in the family SPHINGIDAE have a wicked-looking spine on the tail, but it is in fact entirely harmless.
Caterpillars from species in the genus Doratifera have pockets of stinging spines that they evert when they feel threatened. These caterpillars are often called Spitfires, but they do not actually spit.
When threatened, caterpillars of species in the family PAPILIONIDAE evert a pair of horns from behind the head which produce a pungent aromatic smell, but which are entirely harmless.
Caterpillars from species in the genus Triodes feed on poisonous plants, and accumulate the poisons in their body making them poisonous to predators like birds.
Whilst most species of caterpillars feed on leaves, some burrow into the soil feeding on roots, some bore into trees eating the wood, and caterpillars of the moth Argyrotoxa pompica feed on Koala droppings.
The caterpillars of some species will eat nearly any leaves put in front of them, and some eat only plants of one family, but caterpillars of Leptocnaria reducta will eat only leaves from the Cape Lilac Tree (Melia azedarach).
The female moths of the Australian species Teia anartoides have no wings, and the species disperses by the young caterpillars making an open gossamer sail out of silk, and sailing away on it in the wind.
The scientific name for a Caterpillar is Larva (plural Larvae). This name is presumably taken from that of the Roman spirits called Larvae, probably because butterflies and moths might be viewed as the spirits of the Caterpillars from which they come.
Most insect taxonomy and identification has been performed on the adult insect forms, the imagos. This makes the identification of Caterpillars difficult.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar
http://www.usyd.edu.au/macleay/larvae/larvae.html
http://www.usyd.edu.au/macleay/larvae/overseas.html "
Stan 07:41, 20 Apr 2004 (UTC)
