Why is being small unworthy of being reared to get the adult to identify its species? Small moths have small caterpillars. Meanwhile a clear lateral view to verify its leg-count would be good to distinguish it from being a beetle larva. Grump.
Sorry Don. I couldn't get a clear lateral view though I tried. This caterpillar looked familiar to a larger specimen I'd seen. I've previously tried to rear caterpillars from a very young age and they have not survived (for whatever reason) so I no longer try to bring very small specimens home. Plus I didn't have any collection bottles with me.
1. You put a twig in front of it and tickle its behind with something so it will walk onto the twig for a nice lateral portrait. 2. It is not an early instar of a macro-moth, but a late instar of a micro-moth, so it is probably ready to pupate. Very easy to care for. 3. You should ALWAYS carry a specimen bottle with you when outdoors. 4. How are we supposed to identify larvae if nobody rears them ?
Sorry Don. I was just taking a stroll near home with my dogs, without my usual camera gear kit. Very hard to carry all this gear and keep my dogs happy and patient.
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