#gnathothlibus

The White-brow hawkmoth one step closer to becoming a moth.

Gnathothlibus eras

Another photo by Kerry Gardeniers in the Queensland town of 1770. They wanted to know if it was the adult of the tigerpillar posted prior to this one. It isn’t.

Gnathothlibus eras (formerly known as Deilephila eras) is a sphinx moth known from Java eastward through Sulawesi, the Moluccas, the Philippines, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Micronesia and eastern Australia, where the caterpillars eat sweet potato, grapes, and a wide variety of other plants. It used to be considered a subspecies of Gnathothlibus erotus, the white-brow hawkmoth , which is found over much the same region as well as India and out to Pitcairn Island, but DNA evidence proved otherwise.

This particular caterpillar was very photogenic.

Gnathothlibus eras

When I visited the Butterfly vine, the last thing I expected to see was a fat hawk moth caterpillar! Aristolochia praevenosa isn’t the only vine growing on this fence, there’s also an Adenia vine, and something else I don’t know the ID of.

These hawk moth caterpillars were feeding on the unknown vine.

I may not not the name of this specific vine, however these caterpillars feed on a variety of other plants as well.

Gnathothlibus eras

I rarely come across these caterpillars, so finding three on the same plant was incredible!

Gnathothlibus eras

If you aren’t already aware, I like grubs. Something about them just screams charm and cuteness to me. Even the ‘ugliest’ grubs such as maggots are something I find very hard to be repulsed by. Most of the grubs that I find are caterpillars, the larval stage of Lepidopteran insects. Most of the caterpillars I find are quite small, and usually wrap themselves up in leaves, or camouflage themselves seamlessly into their surroundings. Every now and then however, I find a caterpillar that is not exactly the best at hiding.

The fat caterpillar pictured above is Gnathothlibus eras, a some-what elusive find for me, as I only see one about once or twice a year. Everytime he shows up though, it’s truly a sight to behold! This caterpillar is pretty easy to spot, everytime I come across it in the wild, it doesn’t even make an attempt at camouflage. This doesn’t mean the caterpillar is a sitting duck though! Firstly, the bright neon dots along the side of the body are likely there to resemble eyes, usually a good enough warning to scare off certain predators. Further more, when the caterpillar shrinks its neck back into its body (it has a extendable neck, that I sadly did not photograph), two dots on the start of the neck will fold forward, resembling (what is just my own speculation) the eyes of a snake.

Nothing scarier then a snake with glowing eyes! Although this snake is unusually small...

Gnathothlibus eras, “(Aussie) White-brow Hawkmoth” - Lepidoptera

A few nights ago I made a new friend ♥

I don’t know how, but they had gotten themselves trapped inside my room! I had trouble catching them, so I decided just to go back to sleep. The next morning, they were gone (keep in mind, my room is not sealed properly, and they could’ve gotten out anywhere).

Where ever they are now, I hope they found a mate ♥ These pentas caterpillars are some of my favs, and we have plenty of pentas in our yard! 

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