This little caterpillar delivers a very potent sting. Days after brushing up against one of these I still have very large, itchy welts. Pictured above a wide view with my dirty thumb for scale. The little guy that stung me was on an oak tree that I brushed against.
Below: A close up of the shining hairs of a Saddleback Caterpillar on a palm frond.
There are four major stinging caterpillars occurring in Florida. They are the puss caterpillar, saddleback caterpillar, Io moth caterpillar and hag caterpillar. Some less common ones also occur in the state.
These caterpillars do not possess stingers, but have spines that are connected to poison glands. Some people experience severe reactions to the poison released by the spines and require medical attention. Others experience only an itching or burning sensation.
While the Saddleback caterpillar, Sabine stimulea (Clemus), is a very unusual and striking insect, its moth is kind of plain, brown, small and resembles a clump of soil (above).
The caterpillars get their common name from the conspicuous brown oval central area that usually is bordered with white. The brown spot looks like a saddle, and the green area looks like a saddle blanket. They may exceed an inch in length and are stout-bodied. The primary nettling hairs are borne on the back of paired fleshy protuberances toward the front and hind ends of the body. There is also a row of smaller stinging organs on each side. This caterpillar feeds on many plants, including hibiscus, citrus and palms, but appears to show little host preference.
This species occurs across the Eastern USA. The moth. . .which resembles a clump of soil, is pictured below.
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