Subject: Help with caterpillar please!

From: [email-masked] (Shulamis )
Date: 6 Jun 1996 17:52:47 GMT

I'm an extremely amateur insect collector, and I got a caterpillar a 
couple weeks ago, off an oak tree. I've been keeping it in a fish tank 
with a screen top. I'm sure it's probably a pretty common species, but 
I'm really interested in what exactly it is, and when it might pupate.

So here's the information that may be useful; 

It's about 1 1/4" long. It started out bright green all over, except for 
a white stripe all the way around the side of it. It has 4 pairs of 
pro-legs, and funny claw things on it's "behind". It has little white 
hairs. 

For a few days after I found it, all it did was eat and eat the leaves I 
gave it. Then it started slowing down, which I read was OK, and might be 
a sign of it being ready to change. 

For about a week or so, it just stopped doing much. 

And now, it seems to be burrowing underground, into the wet dirt. I 
unearthed it two times because I thought it was dead, or strange that it 
was doing this. It's looking very pale yellow/white now. 

So if anyone can tell me what species this is, and what exactly it's 
doing underground, I'd really appreciate it! Also, what sort of 
conditions should it have in the tank?

Oh, I looked in a caterpillar identification book, but couldn't find one 
that fit it's description.

Shulamis

p.s. I'm living in Northern NJ.

---

From: [email-masked] (ET2JS)
Date: 6 Jun 1996 20:06:10 -0400

Can't say for sure what it is, but if it stopped eating and is burrowing,
it's trying to pupate!
let it be , and keep the conditions inside the cage near to what they are
outside(not wet though)
and in a while, a few weeks perhaps, it should emerge as an adult. 

Good luck.
Joel