Conversely, the creature attracted the Dust Bunny, my neighbor's cat (so nicknamed for his intellectual prowess) who promptly felt he had to catch and kill one. A Himalayan's face already appears as if a foul-smelling object were lodged under its nose. Surprisingly, the DB's face went into contortions I'd have not thought possible. A single episode and these caterpillars became personae non grata within the DB's sphere of interest.

The caterpillar stage of the plumeria moth (Pseudosphinx tetrio Linnaeus) is intimidating. Plants in the Apocynaceae--Plumeria and Allamanda--serve as primary hosts for the larvae. After these voracious caterpillars strip the frangipanis, they will turn to Adenium (desert rose) to get their 'daily dose' of cardioactive glycosides. One that I kept in a jar consumed 21 Plumeria leaves in less than two weeks. The leaf blades averaged about 30 centimeters (12 inches) in length, 10 cm. (4 inches) in width.

All the Plumeria in my garden were stripped of foliage and flowers within a couple of weeks. The plants appear adapted to this mass consumption, all have put on new growth since October.

The caterpillars pupate in the soil. The one in the jar grew to almost six inches before constructing a dome of silk, mulch, and leaf debris. It did not survive long enough to pupate. Considering the devastation to my Plumeria, I was only mildly disappointed.

For all the interesting color of the caterpillar, the adult moth is not attractive. The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center of the USGS has a photograph of the plumeria moth taken by Paul Opler. To view the photograph, click on the link: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/fl/1101.htm