Don’t Call Me A Worm – I’m A Larvae!

Caterpillars are often miscalled "worms," but to be technically and scientifically correct we should call them "larvae." The caterpillar or larval stage is the period in life during which an insect feeds and increases in size. The insect's body is composed of thirteen rings or segments of which the three foremost, excepting the head, form the thorax. These three thoracic rings are each furnished with a pair of legs that correspond to the six legs of the future perfect insect. The rings from the third to the eleventh inclusive are provided on either side with small openings to admit air. These openings are connected with the breathing apparatus.

Supporting the body at the middle we usually find four sets of false legs or prolegs, while another pair, called the anal prolegs, support the hind end. Some caterpillars are really handsome. The largest of our giant silkworms, the Cecropia caterpillar (Samia cecropia), is a beautiful creature, often measuring four inches in length when full grown. Conspicuous fleshy protuberances or knobs that are illuminated with vivid colors, such as coral red, yellow, and blue, adorn the body, itself a delicate bluish green. There are six rows of these tubercles or knobs extending nearly its entire length, while there is a partial row on each lower side.

Living exposed on a great variety of trees and shrubs, the Cecropia caterpillar feeds upon the leaves, casting its skin from time to time as it grows. It is a conspicuous creature and often attracts considerable attention on account of its large size and beautiful coloration, although seldom occurring in numbers great enough to cause serious injury.

This caterpillar is a cocoon-maker; in fact, there are two cocoons, one inside the other, an arrangement to protect the transforming insect from enemies, weather conditions and great changes in temperature. The silk from the cocoons of this species does not yet have a high commercial value, as there are difficulties in the matter of unwinding it. Silk glands from which the silk fluid is produced resemble a pair of long tubes on each side of the interior of the caterpillar's body. These tubes unite at the lip to form the spinning organ, or spinneret. The silk fluid, when drawn out, hardens rapidly when exposed to the air. After spending the required time in the silken cocoon, changing from caterpillar to pupal stage, we finally observe the perfect moth or adult emerging. In this instance it is a Cecropia moth, the largest member of its family in the U.S. When the moth spreads its handsomely ornamental wings they measure perhaps five or six and one-half inches across, from tip to tip. The Cecropia moth is known from the Atlantic Coast to the Rocky Mountains, while m the West its place is taken by other species that are closely related to the Cecropia.

By: davidbunch

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