Predator Caterpillar Disguises Self Using Slain Prey as Cover
In the lush, tropical landscape of the Hawaiian Islands, a unique and fascinating creature has been making its home for millions of years. The bone collector caterpillar, a member of the moth genus Hyposmocoma, is a meat-eater that has captured the attention of entomologists worldwide.
The lineage of the bone collector caterpillar is at least 6 million years old, making it older than the island of Oahu itself. This ancient species was first discovered almost 20 years ago by Dan Rubinoff, an entomologist from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu. Over the next two decades, 62 bone-collector caterpillars were spotted, all within a 15-square-kilometer (almost 6-square-mile) range.
The bone collector caterpillar is a master of disguise. It wears skin shed by its eight-legged landlord, the spider, as a protective coat. To further blend in with its surroundings, it masks its scent and texture with leftovers from prey on which the spider had dined. This unusual camouflage allows it to lurk in a web, waiting to prey on insects stuck there.
The bone collector caterpillar carefully probes and rotates bodily remains for its prey-based wardrobe. Once it has nibbled large pieces of its prey down to size, it weaves them onto its silken case. This unique practice makes the bone collector caterpillar the first known species to live in spider hunting grounds and fully decorate itself with body parts.
The bone collector caterpillar lives in a spider web tucked away in a tree, log, or rock cavity, and there is never more than one per web. After a few months of feasting, the caterpillar seals off the open end of its case, which will become its cocoon as it transforms into a moth.
Dan Rubinoff, who named the newfound caterpillar species the "bone collector," is glad they discovered it before it went extinct. However, there are no search results indicating which entomologists discovered and described the Bone Collector caterpillars on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
All members of the genus Hyposmocoma wear protective coats when young. The bone collector caterpillar is the only species in its line to live in such a unique and intriguing manner. Its discovery adds another layer of mystery to the already enchanting world of the Hawaiian Islands.
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