07/10/2022
A caterpillar is a larva of insects from the order Lepidoptera (butterflies).
The body consists of a head, three thoracic and ten abdominal segments. Head with powerfully sclerotized integuments, the rest of the body in most is soft, without large sclerites. Setae are developed on the body, arranged in a strictly defined way, specific to individual families, genera, and even species. In addition to these primary setae, at older ages, many open-living forms develop a dense cover of secondary setae (most powerful in caterpillars of the subfamily Ursa). Body sizes vary from a few millimeters (for a number of moths) to 12-14 cm (some peacock-eyes) [1].
