Larvae of Iphiclides podalirirus. Notes from the life of caterpillars

Community and Forum → Insects biology and faunistics → Larvae of Iphiclides podalirirus. Notes from the life of caterpillars

mikee, 21.07.2008 23:24

In the photo-Iphiclides podalirius-mother (May 2008) and her children (July 2008). My children live on a plum tree in my yard (Kasimovsky district, Ryazan region). It's quite fun to watch them. First, the caterpillars are of different colors, yellow (632) and green (636). Yellow actively moves along the lower part of the tree crown, the speed of movement is 6-7 meters per day. And this is from branch to branch... Green - sedentary, lives on the final leaf of the lower branch, the leaf is lined with silvery fibers (643) and is a bedroom. The caterpillar rests on it strictly upside down. The sleeping leaf is in the sun, apparently, so the enzymatic digestion processes are easier to pass. From the sleeping leaf, the green caterpillar makes trips to food leaves at a distance of up to 30 cm on the lateral processes of the same branch, about 1/4-1/5 of the plum leaf (4 cm long) is eaten at a time. Interestingly, it finds its way to the already started leaf and moves on to the next one only when only the central vein remains from the previous leaf. The next leaf is located on a different side branch, and not the one where the previous one was eaten. After the end of the meal, the caterpillar returns to the sleeping leaf and turns upside down. And how does it just navigate and remember the road?! Such trips are made every 1.5-2 hours. The caterpillar's gait is very funny-it goes like a drunk, swaying across the longitudinal axis. Apparently, this is due to the high center of gravity and a thin branch. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to shoot a video of the hike. Phlegmatic, observation and touching is not afraid, "horns" are not released even once. In general, a leisurely, well-fed life is not attacked by birds and wasps, despite the completely open place of residence.