The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy

Author:Douglas W. Tallamy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: 2021-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Kent’s geometer (Selenia kentaria) often escapes bird predation because it resembles a twig so closely.

An equally bizarre inhabitant of your oak is the filament bearer (Nematocampa resistaria). If this caterpillar survives bird predation, its main enemies are tiny parasitoid wasps that constantly try to land on its back and inject one or more eggs. The filament bearer is aptly named because it uses four expandable extensions of its dorsal exoskeleton as Hydra-like bats, filaments if you will, that serve to knock parasitoids away before they get a chance to insert an egg into its body. The filaments are hollow and can be retracted or rapidly inflated by withdrawing or injecting hemolymph (caterpillar blood) into them. Touch a filament bearer gently, and it will be happy to demonstrate this unusual adaptation.

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