Hungry Caterpillars

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 6

Hungry Caterpillars

Although the name of Spitfire is synonymous with one of the most outstanding aircraft ever flown, it also belongs to the larva of the large steel-blue sawfly. The caterpillars of this insect feed voraciously on gumtree leaves in Australia. Such Is their appetite and so quickly do they eat that one can frequently hear the patter of their dropipngs hit the ground. During the day they congregate in large clusters

as shown in the accompanying photograph and towards dusk they become restless, to break up when it is dark, to feed. Then it seems that they are on every leaf and they can quite easily cause complete defoliation of small trees. As dawn approaches they form their, characteristic groups again. If disturbed they raise their pointed tails and emit a smelly, viscid yellow fluid after rapidly wrapping their bodies against their support.

This is a means of protection against bird* and also parasitic insects. When they are thus seen for the first time, one can be excused for drawing back a pace in awe for they present a most menacing sight, with tail* and bodies writhing and waving. Th* female sawfly slits the leaves of the eucalypts with a razor like virtually invisible appendage to deposit her eggs and this causes blisters to form on the surface.