this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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Can you help me id this larvae (mander.xyz)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Francisco@mander.xyz to c/bugs@lemmy.world
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Found it on my tomato plant. I'd seen them before in sizes up to 4-5 cm. They eat the tomato leaves like crazy. And (naturally) poo a lot. Some black granade like aggregates. Once grown they molt into a moth that I saw a few days ago. And now my tomato plants are again riddled with these buggers.

This photo was done with the help of a stereoscope. The grid squares are 4mm inside, and 5mm outside the lines. So this juvenile has about 1cm.

I'd love to ID them. Any advise on how to control them without pesticides is also welcome.

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[–] envis10n@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm sorry but I really thought it was a gummy worm

[–] Francisco@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

If I let them grow, I'm sure I can send you a good bag. XD

[–] Francisco@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I believe now this is a Tomato Looper, aka Golden Twin-spot moth

Chrysodeixis chalcites.

From a 12yo reddit post with a very very similar larvae on tomato plants, somebody said it was a cabbage looper (wiki).

But after chancing a search for "tomato looper" I finally found a different species with a very very similar larvae and from there a name and good photo for the moth, Golden Twin-spot.

Now to find how to save the plants!..

[–] HonkTonkWoman@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thank you tracking this down & following up! I was convinced it was a Regal Moth.

Hope your tomato plants survived!

[–] Francisco@mander.xyz 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thanks! Seems like handpicking the larvae on the first generation was not thorough enough. Now it's a horde. Today it's looking bleak for one of the 4 plants ':)

The consumption of leaves is astonishing.

On the positive, this has been a good science project for my 5 yo. Catching larvae and pupae, and watching the birthing moth.

We're not eating tomatoes (from these house plants anyway) but we're having some fun.

That Regal moth is awesome! The caterpillar too. And I think i'd surrender the tomatoe plants to them the first time I saw them around.