All about the Tar Vine Caterpillar
Above: Tar vine caterpillar
Scientific Name: Celerio lineata livornicoides
Arrernte Name: Tyape Ayepe-arenye
Common Name: Tar Vine Caterpillar
Description:
The Tar Vine caterpillar is a green, fat grub with a black stripe on it's back and a spike on it's tail. It grows from about 5cm from it's head to it's tail.
Food plant/host plant:
The Tar Vine caterpillar feeds only on the Tar Vine bush and portulacca.
Traditional use:
The Arrernte people take the tar vine caterpillar's guts out and put them in the hot soil. They dry them for about two or three days and when they are dry they share them around.
Life Cycle:
The hawk moth lays her eggs on a tar vine bush. When the eggs hatch into caterpillars they eat for about 10-12 days. They make a cacoon underground and stay there 12-24 days. Then they come up as a hawk moth. They mate and lay eggs.
By Dillon