Observation date: September 04, 2019
Submitted by: Susan McSwain
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Wagner (Caterpillars of Eastern N. America) page 296 under D. ministra states that D. angusii has black thoracic shield. I have a question about another Datana caterpillar, photo number 1220832, submitted July 29, that is still pending. My suggested ID (D. perspicua) was based on the fact that quite a few of the caterpillars had red prolegs (again, see Wagner under D. ministra, page 296). I had also looked this up on several websites, and read on this site something that did not hold for the 50+ caterpillars I saw (see https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2012/08/02/prominent-caterpillars-datana-perspicua/) An answer to someone else's inquiry read, "We believe these Datana perspicua have a documented color match on BugGuide. We believe the species is most likely variable in coloration between races and perhaps within the same brood as well, though we cannot recall having ever seen a photograph where a single Datana individual was differently colored than its siblings." Well, the batch I saw was quite a mixed bag. If there are no photos of differently colored siblings, maybe my photo is significant. Has anyone had any luck determining a positive ID for the species in the photo I submitted?
Status: Resident
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: November 22, 2019
Coordinator notes: None.
