Mottled Cup Moth Caterpillar
I had never seen one of these until today. What an amazing caterpillar!! Apparently they can give you a nasty sting when it raises the hairs as seen in the second and third photos. I am not sure how it got the name spitfire as I have read on the internet that no Australian caterpillars spit. I am trying out MY new macro tubes - this was taken with my 75-300 mm lens with no cropping at all. The caterpillar is about 2 cms long. A few people have mentioned that the caterpillar is upside down in the third photo, but it is right way up. The spiky bits on top are the little spines that protrude when threatened. They cause severe stinging and irritation when touched.
Mottled Cup Moth Caterpillar
I had never seen one of these until today. What an amazing caterpillar!! Apparently they can give you a nasty sting when it raises the hairs as seen in the second and third photos. I am not sure how it got the name spitfire as I have read on the internet that no Australian caterpillars spit. I am trying out MY new macro tubes - this was taken with my 75-300 mm lens with no cropping at all. The caterpillar is about 2 cms long. A few people have mentioned that the caterpillar is upside down in the third photo, but it is right way up. The spiky bits on top are the little spines that protrude when threatened. They cause severe stinging and irritation when touched.