Take a look at these Polydamas (I’m pretty sure that’s what they are) caterpillars. These guys are huge and they still haven’t gone to pupate. They look to me like they are literally about to bust.
Speaking of Polydamas, I’ve been struggling on how to differentiate between the Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars and the Polydamas Swallowtail caterpillars. I think I found a website that provides the distinction. Check out the Butterfly Fun Facts website. If what this website says is true, here are the ways to differentiate the Polydamas from the Pipevine butterflies (http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/goldrim.php).
- Pipevine eggs are burgundy, Polydamas are yellow
- Polydamas caterpillars have a gold rim about their head, Pipevine caterpillars do not
So, it appears that the majority of the caterpillars that we have collected from our Pipevine are from the Polydamas Swallowtail. These particular pictures don’t really show the head that well (to see the gold rim) but they definitely show how fat these guys can get.
Plump Polydamas Caterpillar 1
Picture number 2
Plump Polydamas Caterpillar 2
Picture Number 3
Plump Polydamas Caterpillar 3
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by texdr
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