The Caterpillar: Varieties And Species
The caterpillar is the larva of the various species of insects that make up the order of the Lepidoptera, such as daytime and nighttime butterflies. However, the term can also be used to designate the larvae of some types of flies and beetles.
Morphologically, the caterpillar is characterized by a cylindrical body, which can be of various shades. Although traditional caterpillars tend to be white or green, they can also exhibit aposematic coloration patterns, which warn predators of their degree of toxicity.
In general, the types of camouflage caterpillars are the most original, thanks to their bright and striking colors.
In this article, we will summarize not only the aposematic species, but also the most common types of caterpillars existing in the world.
The 7 most common types of caterpillar in the world
1. The papilio machaon
The machaon caterpillar is one of the most common caterpillars and lives mostly on plantations. It gives life to daytime butterflies. In fact, there are several species included in this large swallowtail family. They feed mainly on plants such as fennel and rue, belonging to the Umbelliferae family.
2. The green caterpillar
This is another large family of caterpillars that are easily found on plantations around the world. Despite its popular name, “green caterpillar,” these types of caterpillars can be of different colors, such as yellow, green or brown, with or without fringes.
The most common species of green caterpillar is called Heliothis armigera. In general, they focus on the crops of nightshade plants, such as potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.
However, they can also feed on beans, cabbage, fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe, and even flowers.
3. The gray caterpillar
The types of caterpillars popularly known as gray worms belong to the genus Agrotis sp . These are medium-sized caterpillars with a cylindrical body and smooth skin, which can be gray or brown.
Since they live on the ground, they usually consume plants starting from the roots up to the top and damaging them entirely.
These caterpillars can affect almost any type of crop, from lettuce to potatoes, fruit to flowers, including cabbage, peppers, corn, carrots, turnips, etc.
4. Acharia stimulea
Undoubtedly, this is one of the most striking types of caterpillars found in nature, and not as common as the previous ones.
It is a species native to North America, but we can also find it in abundance in some countries of Central America and in some areas of Colombia.
During the early stages of development, these caterpillars are completely green and common in appearance. But when they reach the most advanced stages, their body adopts surprising aposematic colors ranging from green to brown to white.
In addition, they have small spines or hairs that play a defensive role, as they help keep predators away.
5. The cabbage caterpillar
Cabbage caterpillars usually give rise to two main species of butterflies: Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae . In general, they are easily found in orchards, where they feed mainly on cabbage.
These butterflies are very similar to each other, white in color with black spots. But, curiously, their caterpillars display different colors. The caterpillars that originate Pieris brassicae butterflies are black and yellow in color.
The types of caterpillar that give rise to Pieris rapae butterflies, on the other hand, are completely green and blend easily among the cabbage leaves.
6. Green or brown gregarious larva
In this small group of caterpillars we find two main species: Spodoptera littoralis and Spodoptera exigua . The popular name refers to their primary defense strategy: when threatened , these caterpillars curl up on themselves to protect themselves and mislead predators.
These are relatively large caterpillars that often damage crops. Their diet can include almost all types of vegetables, preferably melons, watermelons, bananas, peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce.
7. Moths
Moths are among the most common types of caterpillars in the world. Under this name we find numerous species very similar to each other, among which the Chrysodeixis Chalcites and the Autographa gamma stand out .
These caterpillars are characterized by their large size and mostly greenish color. Furthermore, the insects they spawn are easily recognized by the crest they possess behind their heads.
In crops, orchards and fields, they act as super predators and ingest virtually everything they have at their disposal. For this reason, these caterpillars are considered to be among the most harmful to agriculture.
