Diet

What does the Processionary Caterpillar eat?

Tree leaves make up the diet of the processionary caterpillar. Large groups gather at eucalypts, acacia and other similar trees and can remove the majority of the leaves.

Adults have no mouthparts and die a few days after pupation.

Learn more about the processionary caterpillar in this video from Native Australia on YouTube

Range

Where do you find the Processionary Caterpillar?

Australia is the native home of the processionary caterpillar. Here they have been recorded from every state and territory on the mainland.

Habitat

Where can the Processionary Caterpillar survive?

This species is found in a range of habitats . They require the trunk of a eucalypt or other similar food tree.

Credit: Public Domain

Reproduction

How does the Processionary Caterpillar produce its young?

A female will deposit her hundreds of eggs in a mass on a tree. Eggs hatch within three to four weeks of being laid.

As they grow the processionary caterpillar reaches a maximum size following which it will pupate in a cocoon located among ground debris. They reach 4cm (1.7in) long before undergoing pupation.

After two to four weeks they will emerge from their pupa as an adult moth.

Behavior

What does the Processionary Caterpillar do during its day?

As processionary caterpillars move from one tree to another they will deposit silk in a trail. This is used to help them navigate their environment.

Their name is taken from the large groups, sometimes up to 200 individuals, which can be seen moving head to tail along these trails as they move between sources of leaves.

On occasion two caterpillars follow one another's silk trail and wind up going in a circle.

Caterpillars are active by night when they will feed.

These animals will rest in a large bag formed from silk. Inside of this shed skin and excretions will accumulate eventually leading to the sac bursting and the caterpillars inside falling to the ground.

Credit: Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Predators and Threats

What stops the Processionary Caterpillar from surviving and thriving?

Due to the defence provided by their irritating hairs this species has few predators. They are parasitized by the Tachinid Fly.

If threatened the caterpillars will curl in to a ball showing off only their hairs.

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Quick facts

These animals may be accidentally ingested by animals grazing on grass. If this occurs they may burrow out of the stomach and cause bloodstream infections. In pregnant animals they may cause the pregnancy to abort.

Adults are known as the bag-shelter moth.

Credit: Christopher Watson (http://www.comebirdwatching.blogspot.com/), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons