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Its consumption of toxic plants makes it distasteful to most predators. An exception is the smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani), which tears the caterpillar apart to eat it, avoiding the gut containing the plant material. The caterpillar is also coated in barbed urticating hairs, which stick deeply in skin and cause irritation. If caught, the ...
Certain caterpillars eat plants that are toxic to both themselves and the parasite to cure themselves. [24] Drosophila melanogaster larvae also self-medicate with ethanol to treat parasitism. [25] D. melanogaster females lay their eggs in food containing toxic amounts of alcohol if they detect parasitoid wasps nearby. The alcohol protects them ...
Caterpillar hair can be a cause of human health problems. Caterpillar hairs sometimes have venoms in them and species from approximately 12 families of moths or butterflies worldwide can inflict serious human injuries ranging from urticarial dermatitis and atopic asthma to osteochondritis, consumption coagulopathy, kidney failure, and brain ...
Caterpillars of many species can cause irritation by their hollow body hairs that envenom or detach easily, or can be poisonous if ingested. [5] Prior to investigations into Lonomia caterpillars, it was not known that caterpillars could produce toxins in sufficient quantities to kill a human.
Predators such as birds, spiders, dragonflies, and fish feed on the moth's caterpillars, pupae and/or adults, as do mites. [25] A nuclear polyhedrosis virus infects and kills the moth's caterpillars during their first and fourth instars. The virus embeds itself in the caterpillar's epidermis, fat, or tracheal matrix, causing the breakdown of ...
Naphthalene is a major component of some mothballs.It repels moths as well as some animals. [citation needed]Since mothballs that contain naphthalene are considered hazards, safer alternatives have been developed, such as the use of 1,4-dichlorobenzene, however, 1,4-dichlorobenzene has been declared as a potential neurotoxin. 1,4-dichlorobenzene has been linked to potentially causing ...
The adult is a stout furry moth which holds its wings like a tent over the body, in the manner of the eggar moths (Lasiocampidae).The adult is larger than the oak processionary, Thaumetopoea processionea, has a crescent marking on the wings (unlike the pale eggar moth; the oak processionary has an indistinct marking), and is found in coniferous rather than broad-leaved forests.
Acharia stimulea is known for having one of the strongest stings and, because the saddleback caterpillar is commonly found in ornamental plants, gardeners are most at risk of accidental exposure. The spines along the caterpillar, when broken, will release an irritating toxin into its victims that is known to cause acute urticaria in humans. [ 3 ]