Butterflies are considered the most beautiful representatives of the class of insects. They are endowed with various species characteristics. A distinctive feature of butterflies are their unique wings patterns. Caterpillars, in turn, are a transitional step to the appearance of butterflies, and also differ in shape and colors. Despite the fact that the life of the caterpillar is quite short, these creatures are very interesting.
Types of caterpillars
On the territory of Eurasia, the following types of caterpillars are most often found: cabbage whitewash or cabbage, peacockeyed, pyplenitsa, plane mol, redhitch, bribe, admiral, mahaon. Consider each of these types in more detail.
Cabbage butterfly
Photographer Angelica Taranenko (Nekobyaka)
This type of caterpillars is quite common. They are found in the European region of Eurasia. The appearance is represented by a green body with a length of about 3-4 centimeters. Dark hairs and tubercles are located on the surface of the body. This name is due to the fact that you can meet this caterpillar in cabbage. However, they can eat radish, turnip, tournament and other cultures. For this reason, the cabbage are pests. The stage of the caterpillar in these species lasts about 2-5 weeks. It is determined by weather conditions.
Pendant
In another way, the spellots are called land surveyors. This name is due to the fact that they have underdeveloped front false legs, so they move in an extremely specific way. Distinguishes this representative of the brown color of the body, thanks to which she manages to hide perfectly among the vegetation. The mushroom system is also well developed in the penitentant place, because of which it can be in an elongated motionless state for a rather long time period. Food piles is limited by coniferous trees, hazelniks and foliage of currants. The body of this variety is quite wide and painted in delicate shades.
Redhitch
It is found on the territory of the foreststeppe zone. Redhood feeds mainly with bush leaves. The body of this representative is covered with gray-brown hairs. At the end of the body there is an area painted in bright scarlet color. This sign shows that the caterpillar is poisonous, so contact with it can make in an allergic reaction. It is also a pest, as it destroys fruit trees. The period of the summer of the redhunger lasts from May to June.
Mahaon
A variety of caterpillars of the Mahaon have quite large sizes. They spread in the territories of Europe, North America and Asia. There are also in Africa. The caterpillar is distinguished by its incredible color that can change. For this reason, it is considered no less beautiful than a butterfly. At first, the mahaon is covered with bright red spikes, and then it becomes green with dark stripes and brownish spots. The main diet is carrots, parsley, celery and wormwood.
Blind Brazhnik
It is found in the middle part of Eurasia, in Siberia and the Far East. It feeds mainly with leaves of birch, poplar and willow. The body is painted green, so it can not be noticeable against the background of foliage. Thin diagonal stripes of dark green color are also on the surface of the body, and a small process sticks out on the tail.
Pavliy eye
The caterpillar of this species reaches a body length of about 10 centimeters. Two types of these representatives are distinguished in total: day and night. It feeds mainly with fruit trees like a pear, walnut, plum, apple trees and cherries.
Admiral
Spread on the territory of various regions of Eurasia. Their appearance is similar to butterflies. The body of the caterpillar is painted black with characteristic yellow stripes on the sides. Are most often found in May. The admiral forms a shelter from leaves around him, where he spends most of the time until the end of the summer, and then goes and turns into a butterfly.
In addition to the above caterpillars, which are relatively not dangerous, there are also a large variety of toxic representatives. The main of them:
Poisonous caterpillar cosenic
This insect has a similar look with an animal covered with fur. She is one of the most poisonous. You can meet it on the territory of Mexico. Under a kind of fur are poisonous and sharp spikes, which can be light-gray or brownish. In its length, the caterpillar does not exceed 2 centimeters. Contact with this representative can turn into redness of the skin, an increase in lymph nodes, chest pain and shortness of breath.
Sedal caterpillar
The body of this species is painted in bright green with brown spots at the base. There is also a brown spot in the middle, which is ended with white. They spread in North and South America. There are two pairs of ox on the body, which are equipped with a poisonous solution. From the injection these horns you can get severe pain, nausea and rash. These symptoms can last for several days.
Lazy clown
Most often this insect is found in Mozambique and Uruguay. Lives mainly in the shade under the foliage of trees. This caterpillar is famous for the most dangerous toxin, which accumulates in its processes that have the shape of a Christmas tree. Representatives of this species reach a body length up to 7 centimeters with a green-brown color. Toxin poisoning of this caterpillar can lead to hemorrhage at the site of the bite, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as edema of the lungs and disorders of the nervous system.
Classification
Each butterfly was a caterpillar, while the color of the caterpillar may differ from the color of the butterfly. Most often, caterpillars are herbivores, but in nature you can also find predators. Depending on food, caterpillars are divided into the following classes:
Polyphages. This variety of caterpillars feeds on almost any plants. They represent types of butterflies such as wine brapid, blind bracan, bear Kaya, peacockeyed and other insects.
Monophages. These caterpillars prefer to use only specific species of plants, from which their names went. The monopags are whiskers, apple moths, silkworms and other species as examples of monopags.
Oligophages. The power of these insects is limited by one type of plant that belong to a certain family or type. As a rule, this is a pine butterfly, mahaon, polyxen.
Xylophages. The diet of this class is diverse for various wood bark. Such caterpillars are leaflets, woodpeckers, and so on.
Caterpillars also differ in the distribution area. A number of species inhabit subtropics, and some of the northern regions. Among the large number of caterpillars there are rather valuable representatives, for example, silkworms. Silk threads are obtained from their cocoon.
How a caterpillar turns into a butterfly?
Habitat
Most often, a caterpillar can be found on Earth, but many representatives began to develop under water. For example, Hawaiian caterpillar moth spread on land and water.
Also, caterpillars are divided into two types by which they lead either a secretive or free lifestyle. Caterpillars that lead a free lifestyle live on the foliage of plants and differ in large sizes. Fighting caterpillars include a number of varieties:
- Listroverts. They hide in twisted leaves of various trees.
- Farmodic. Their habitat is limited by the fruits of trees;
- Burners. You can find them only inside trees and shoots;
- Miners. These types make special moves in the kidneys, leaves and petioles;
- Gallformers. They are famous for causing a pathology in the growth of damaged parts of plants.
