Earlier this year, scuba instructor and amateur photographer, Gerardo Aizpuru, uploaded a series of stunning images to the website Project Noah in hopes that members of the community might be able to identify the semi-translucent caterpillar.
Another member suggested the 3 cm caterpillar was a member of the Dalceridae moth fmaily known as Acraga coa. What’s even more fascinating is that the caterpillar eventually transforms into a fuzzy orange moth. This identification was made on a similar site entitled What’s That Bug, where Dr. Scott Miller of the Smithsonian Institution confirmed it is indeed the species Acraga coa.
According to Scientific American, scientists have identified around 84 different species of Dalceridae moths, who larvae are sometimes called ‘slug caterpillars’ because they are so gooey.
[via Project Noah, Scientific American, What’s That Bug]
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