If I were more organized or less busy, this would have been written and posted on the one-year anniversary of the project. But better late than never. Above all, thanks to everyone for joining the project and contributing your observations! It’s been great seeing everyone’s observations and trying to help identify them. Please keep sharing what you find and (if you happen to see relevant ones) adding other people’s observations to the project. (This is a great way to publicize the project.) So far, we’ve got 4700+ observations from at least 59 countries.
Also, I’d like to remind everyone (including myself) that adding observations of caterpillars not building constructs is valuable information too. There are a lot of species where building behaviors aren’t mentioned at all, so knowing that a caterpillar wasn’t associated with any sort of construct is also really helpful.
I also wanted to answer a few questions that have come up several times in the last year or so. Please let me know if you think I’ve missed something.
Q. Why does my observation say that the construct type is “silk web/tent” when I said that there wasn’t a construct in the observation and didn’t add the “Caterpillar construct type” field to the observation?
A. I only recently figured this out, but at least on the iOS app, if you add an observation to a project, it will automatically add all the drop-down Observation Fields to the observation. So even if you say that there is no construct and don’t add the “Caterpillar construct type” field, the app will still add “Caterpillar construct type” = “silk web/tent” for you. When we get a chance, we will add a “none” option to the “Caterpillar construct type” field. In the meantime, it may be better to add those observations on the website. (Although if it’s a choice between adding them on the app or forgetting to add them, please add them on the app.)
Q. I found a pupa inside a construct. That means the construct is a cocoon, right?
A. Not necessarily. A lot of caterpillars that build leaf shelters or portable cases will seal up their last one and pupate inside that. Those constructs are still leaf rolls, leaf ties, portable cases, etc. A cocoon is a silk construct that is built specifically for pupating in. Many hairy caterpillars will also coat the exterior of their cocoons with their shed hairs (see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130723317 for a nice illustration of this).
Q. What about a chrysalis? Is that a construct?
A. No. A chrysalis is just a pupa with a fancy exoskeleton. It’s not something that the caterpillar built. Similarly, what’s left of a pupa or chrysalis after an adult has emerged is a shed skin, not a caterpillar construct. But you can mark those leftovers with “Molt” for the “Evidence of Presence” Annotation.
