Legless "stick insect" found on jasmine in County Durham

Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:40 pm » by **Evildweeb**

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Legless wild stick insect? Found on jasmine in County Durham, England

Hi - I found this yesterday evening while hunting for vine weevils. It caught my eye because although it is exactly the colour of the older jasmine stems, it was weirdly attached across two green stems like a strut. It feels velvety soft and is very strongly attached at each end. It doesnt move when touched and has no legs. I thought it might be a stick insect because of the way it looks and where it is and it has the two short rounded claspers on the end. It was difficult to get a good picture, but from close inspection it has no legs and no antennae.

It moved a short distance to another pair of twigs during the night and I think it has left behind a reddish brown discoloured wound on the green stem where its head was. I can only find the one.

Dolly Barlow

I think I know what it is, (the caterpillar of a Geometrid moth) but would like suggestions...

Posted by Jon Downes at 7:45 AM

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