Mistletoe Moth (Comocrus behri) caterpillars

About a month ago (24/2/2017), I found some freshly hatched caterpillars on a low hanging mistletoe at Woodlands Historic Park. I had seen and photographed an adult Mistletoe Moth (Comocrus behri) nearby a few weeks before that, and considering the host plant, I wondered if these were Mistletoe Moth caterpillars.

February 24 2017

I could not find any photos of the early instars of the Mistletoe Moth caterpillar, so I decided that I would head back each week to see these caterpillars develop.

March 4 2017

March 11 2017

March 17 2017

March 17 2017

Then, on March 23 2017, I came upon a dilemma. I found three obvious Mistletoe Moth caterpillars, but there were still about ten of the green-ish caterpillars I had been observing. It seemed as if the caterpillars I had been observing were something else.

March 23 2017

Mistletoe Moth caterpillar (Comocrus behri) March 23 2017

Mistletoe Moth caterpillar (Comocrus behri) March 23 2017

Mistletoe Moth caterpillar (Comocrus behri) March 23 2017

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Mistletoe Moth caterpillar (Comocrus behri) March 23 2017

So I went back one week later for another look. This time I found six Mistletoe Moth caterpillars, and only one of the original type caterpillars.

March 30 2017

Mistletoe Moth caterpillar (Comocrus behri) March 30 2017

My suspicion that the caterpillars I have been following were Mistletoe Moth caterpillars (Comocrus behri) turned out to be wrong. The caterpillars I had been following were in fact caterpillars of the Red-spotted Jezebel butterfly (Delias aganippe). It was great to get back for a few weeks and observe their progress.

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