For many who hike the Appalachian mountains or who live in well forested locations in proximity to there food source you may have seen this alien looking caterpillar before. This is the devils bite pipevine swallowtail caterpillar, or rather the larva of the blue pipevine swallowtail butterfly, Battus philenor . I found this vibrantly colored larva climbing on an old firewatch tower information sign in the middle of Tennessee; which is a good indication to me that there may be some Aristolochia populations near by.
Why is this species referred to as the “devils bite” ?
Similar to the famed monarch, this species is also known for leaving a burning, bitter, or distasteful taste in many predators mouths. It can also lead to discharging the larva or butterfly after an attempt to swallow the species.
The toxin of choice is Aristolochic acid, a heavily carcinogenic, mutagenic, and systematic long term nephrotoxic phytochemical that can cause serious damage to nervous systems as well as cause some very unique cancers.
When I see these I become very excited as a botanist, this is because I associate them to: Aristolochia tomentosa, Isotrema macrophyllum, and Endodeca serpentaria. <- food sources in my area <3
I also associate this species with the Appalachian/eastern members of genus Lilium because of these swallowtails being one of the best pollinators for this species.
For those who are interested in entomology and ecology y’all should check out areas where batesian mimicry and predation effect is a point of interest in behavioral studies currently. Red-spotted purples, dark female eastern tiger swallowtails, female black, Ozark, and spicebush swallowtails, and female Diana fritillaries all are currently looked at as subjects of being nontoxic but preyed on less because of resemblance.
