caterpillar
cocoon
Megalopyge opercularis
Megalopyge opercularis is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. The inch-long larva is generously coated in long, luxuriant hair-like setae, making it resemble a tiny Persian cat. The “fur” of the larva contains venomous
spines that cause extremely painful reactions in human skin upon
contact. The adult moth is covered in long fur in colors ranging from
dull orange to lemon yellow, with hairy legs and fuzzy black feet.
M. opercularis can be found on oak, elm, and wild plum, among others, as well as many garden plants such as roses and ivy. It is distributed throughout the eastern United States between extreme southeastern Virginia and Florida, the southern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America. The caterpillar is regarded as a dangerous insect because of its
venomous spines. Exposure to the caterpillar’s fur-like spines leads to
an immediate skin irritation characterized by a “grid-like hemorrhagic papular eruption with severe radiating pain.” Victims describe the pain as similar to a broken bone or blunt-force trauma.
The reactions are sometimes localized to the affected area, but are
often very severe, radiating up a limb and causing burning, swelling,
nausea, headache, abdominal distress, rashes, blisters, and sometimes
chest pain, numbness, or difficulty breathing.photo credits: Patrick Coin, Amizrachi, Lacy L. Hyche
from Tumblr https://stufftodraw.tumblr.com/post/631956291261267968
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