Could anyone try to help identify this caterpillar, there are loads of them all over my garden and I've got three of them in a makeshift caterpillar house. I've had them for about a week and they've grown to about 3 or 4 centimetres in length and I am yet to see any of them form pupae. I am from London by the way.
EDIT: they don't seem to be too fussy about what they eat, I have found them on honeysuckle, rose bushes and even some nibbling on the bind weed I've pulled recently.
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$\begingroup$ @rg255 thanks, once I am home I will take some closer pictures, I believe there were a lot on my honeysuckle but I will give a full list later. $\endgroup$– user16370Jun 23, 2015 at 13:34
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1$\begingroup$ @rg255 I have added new, closer images and a brief description of the plants I've found them on. Two of the ones I have been looking after have seemed to now be staying close to the dirt level I've put in the tank (possibly going to cocoon under ground or in the floor???). $\endgroup$– user16370Jun 23, 2015 at 18:51
1 Answer
Actually, the animal is not a caterpillar but larva.
The species is Abia lonicerae Sawfly, discovered by Linnaeus 1758.
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$\begingroup$ Is the sawfly considered a pest? Should I worried about the massive population of them in my garden? $\endgroup$ Jun 24, 2015 at 11:25
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$\begingroup$ Thanks for the response, that explains why I couldn't find them anywhere on the Internet by searching for caterpillars! $\endgroup$ Jun 24, 2015 at 11:26
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$\begingroup$ Are you sure that it's that particular species (if so, what characters are you using?), or could it be a related species (Abia sp.)? +1 $\endgroup$ Jun 24, 2015 at 12:59
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$\begingroup$ @fileunderwater I am, actually... the images are related to specific species from the answer. $\endgroup$– IlanJun 24, 2015 at 13:11
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2$\begingroup$ How do you distinguish it from other species in Abia? $\endgroup$ Jun 25, 2015 at 8:07