What is a Caterpillar?

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 14 March 2008)

The larval stage of many insects is a grub. Uniquely, the grubs of the insects in the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) have extra legs. In addition to their six true legs, they have up to ten prolegs. This makes them look and behave differently from the larvae of other orders of insects, so they have the special name : Caterpillars.

only six legs:
not a Caterpillar, but a
Sawfly larva:
Perga dorsalis
six + fourteen = twenty legs:
not a Caterpillar:
Different Sawfly larva:
(Photo: courtesy of Jenni Horsnell,
Wagga Wagga)
six + ten = sixteen legs:
a true Caterpillar:
a Lepidoptera larva:
Helicoverpa punctigera

Thus some Caterpillars turn into butterflies, but most turn into moths, as in Australia there are only about 400 species of butterflies whereas there are over 10,000 species of moths. Many Caterpillars also appear to turn into flies or wasps, but that is because they have been parasitised by the grubs of these insects.

Link to
Frequently Asked Questions about Caterpillars

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