Red Slug Caterpillar

Red Slug Caterpillar

Eterusia aedea

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Guangzhou

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%

20 Verified sightings at Guangzhou
44 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red Slug Caterpillar

Eterusia aedea, the red slug caterpillar, is a species of moth in the family Zygaenidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum. It is found in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Japan and China.

The wingspan is about 50 mm for males and 56 mm for females. They have a semi-diurnal habit and rather elongated narrow body. The first two segments of the abdomen are black, and there are no dorsal bands in the male. The forewings are dark green. The basal black area of the hindwings is larger, reducing the width of the yellow band, which is very pale. The end of the abdomen is black in the male.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on a wide range of plants, including Bischofia javanica, Aporosa lindleyana, Aporosa villosa, Cornus florida, Lagerstroemia, Melastoma candidum, Myrica rubra, Sloanea formosana, Rhododendron, Symplocos glauca, Camellia (including C. japonica, C. sasanqua, C. sinensis, C. oleifera), Eurya japonica, Eurya septata, Cleyera japonica and Buddleja. The larvae of subspecies aedea, sinica, formosana, cingala and virescens have been reported as pests on tea.

Eterusia aedea aedea (Linnaeus, 1763)... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~20%
3 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
4 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Taipei 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
2 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~10%
3 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~10%
4 Guangzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red Slug Caterpillar in Guangzhou?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Slug Caterpillar sighting in Guangzhou on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 145th most-seen of the 482 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red Slug Caterpillar in Guangzhou?

February–March and May–July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Slug Caterpillar in Guangzhou on a given day, against under 5% in April and August–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Red Slug Caterpillar?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Slug Caterpillar sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Guangzhou the best place to see a Red Slug Caterpillar?

Among the best

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Red Slug Caterpillar sightings, Guangzhou ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Taipei (Taiwan, about 10%), Hong Kong (China, about 10%) and Tuen Mun (China, about 10%).

Where does the Red Slug Caterpillar sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red Slug Caterpillar is recorded against all the insects logged in Guangzhou (20 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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