Skip to main content

Pine Processionary

Thaumetopoea pityocampa
The Pine Processionary is a major pest... well, at least in their larval stage. Those little insects are native to Southern Europe, and they continue to spread to areas that they previously were not found in, causing problems with their dangerous spiky hairs.

The common name for the species comes from their larval form, and their marching behavior. They actually build these strange nests up in the trees, and then come down at night to forage. On their way to food the larvae form long, processional, head-to-tail lines that can numbers into the hundreds.

You would think that long lines of Caterpillars would be easy targets for predators... but it's not that easy. Pine Processionary larvae have those aforementioned long, spine-like hairs that they can eject outward. If you get stung by one of these hairs it causes severe irritation. Despite this, there are still a handful of species that feed upon them in that phase. People (and pets) should stay far, far away!

When the time comes to pupate, the Caterpillars again for their long lines, and search far and wide for soft soil in which to bury themselves. This usually takes place in March, and the adults emerge and fly from May to July. Adults are harmless to humans.
IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe
Size : Length around 1in
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Thaumetopoeidae -- Genus : Thaumetopoea -- Species : T. pityocampa
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a
66 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
20 comments
Read more

Binturong

The Binturong ( Arctictis binturong ) also has an equally awesome alternate common name, the Bearcat! However, it really isn't much of a bear OR a cat. While it is true that it is part of the Feliforma suborder, it is not a member of family Felidae. Binturongs are a part of their own family, Viverridae, which is shared with Civets, Linsangs, and Genets. There are six subspecies of Binturong, all of which have slight differences based upon location and habitat. Binturongs range in body size from 60-100cm in length, (not including their tail which has roughly the same length) and weigh between 20 and 30lbs. Binturongs are nocturnal animals native to the rain forests of South East Asia. The species range spans through several countries including China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. They are tree dwelling mammals, and have fully prehensile tails that basically double their body length and can be used to cling to the trees or to grasp food. Binturongs are phe
Post a Comment
Read more