Draft:Bone collector
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Nota bene: the species is not yet formally described so it does not yet have a full binomial name. The draft will use a placeholder name until one is given
Hyposmocoma [placeholder], commonly known as the bone collector, is a species of moth in the genus Hyposmocoma endemic to the Waiʻanae Range in Oahu, Hawaii. Its caterpillars are noted for their carnivorous diet and for attaching pieces of dead insects to their bodies to serve as camouflage, hence the name "bone collector".[1][2][3]
Taxonomy
[edit]| Position of H. [placeholder] in Hyposmocoma[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The bone collector belongs to the genus Hyposmocoma, where it represents a separate lineage in the subgenus Hyposcmoma. Estimates from molecular dating place its divergence from other species at least 6 million years ago.[5] Its closest relatives are the "cigar case" caterpillars such as Hyposmocoma desilvai.[4]
Description
[edit]The caterpillars reach around 1 centimetre (0.39 in) in length. Like other moths in subgenus Hyposmocoma, caterpillars build a protective case around themselves. They are known to incorporate head, leg, wing and body fragments from various insects into their casing, as well as parts of spider exuviae.[6] Their appearance underneath has been described as a "generic white gushy body" by their discoverer.[7]
Adults measure around 5 millimetres (0.20 in) in length.[6] Their front wings are brown with beige spots while their hind wings are lighter in color, with both pairs having white fringes. They exhibit no sexual dimorphism.[7]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The bone collector is endemic to the Waiʻanae Range in Oahu, where it is only known from a 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi) area of mesic forest.[5] Caterpillars exclusively reside on spider webs found in tree hollows, logs, or rock crevices, which, unlike sheet webs, allow them to access the entire surface. They have been documented on the webs of four different species of spiders from three families, none of them native to Hawaii. Only 62 specimens have been found in more than 150 field surveys.[6]
As the lineage is estimated to have diverged before the island of Oahu emerged, it is believed to have originated on older islands in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Ancestors of the bone collector would have reached Oahu from islands such as Kauaʻi or Nihoa. No relative of the bone collector is known from these islands, and human activity has been suggested as a reason for their extinction.[5]
Behavior
[edit]The webs in which caterpillars live offer them protection from other predators, as well as a food source. One of the few known species of caterpillars to be carnivorous, they feed on weakened or dead insects, consuming the softer parts and keeping the harder ones for their casing, and are able to chew through silk to access food. In captivity, they have been documented to eat any slow-moving live prey, including each other.[6] Their relationship with spiders has been described as closer to scavenging than to parasitism or symbiosis.[8]
Caterpillars collect insect parts as well as discarded spider molts, which they manipulate with their mandibles, rotating them and cutting them to an appropriate size, and weave into their casing using silk. They are known to be selective, with laboratory experiments showing them to only select arthropod parts when given access to a variety of items.[6] The casing is believed to serve as camouflage, resembling discarded food remains.[9] Spiders have not been observed to prey on bone collector caterpillars, or to wrap them in silk.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Bassi, Margherita. "Researchers Discover a Rare, Carnivorous Caterpillar That Wears Dead Insect Parts to Fool Spiders". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "Mānoa: VNR: Bizarre 'bone collector' caterpillar discovered by UH scientists wears dead insects | University of Hawaii News". www.uhm.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ "A carnivorous 'bone collector' caterpillar dresses in the remains of its prey". AP News. 2025-04-24. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ a b Rubinoff, San Jose & Doorenweerd 2025, p. Supplementary material page 4.
- ^ a b c Rubinoff, San Jose & Doorenweerd 2025, p. 429.
- ^ a b c d e f Rubinoff, San Jose & Doorenweerd 2025, p. 428.
- ^ a b "This camouflaged critter wears severed insect body parts like a coat". National Geographic. 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ Lee, Gayoung. "Carnivorous 'Bone Collector' Caterpillars Wear Corpses as Camouflage". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-05-04.
- ^ Tamisiea, Jack (24 April 2025). "The 'Bone Collector' Doesn't Play With Its Food. It Wears It". New York Times.
Works cited
[edit]- Rubinoff, Daniel; San Jose, Michael; Doorenweerd, Camiel (2025-04-25). "Hawaiian caterpillar patrols spiderwebs camouflaged in insect prey's body parts". Science. 388 (6745): 428–430. doi:10.1126/science.ads4243. ISSN 0036-8075.