HONOLULU (KHON2) — University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa scientists have discovered a new caterpillar species they dub the “bone collector.”
The bone collector lives in spiderwebs and decorates its habitat with the body parts of dead insects. Scientists have watched the macabre insect measuring and attaching fly wings, weevil heads and earwig abdomens to their homes.
“The bone collector caterpillar is another example of how incredible and unpredictable evolution in Hawaiʻi can be,” said Dan Rubinoff, a UH Mānoa entomology professor. “Not only are they the only caterpillars in the world to decorate their homes with body parts but maybe more shocking, they make their living hanging around spiderwebs. This is something we never even imagined was possible. But in Hawaiʻi, here it is.”
The insect is carnivorous and feeds on the weakened or recently deceased insects within its spiderweb home, sometimes chewing through the webbing to reach their next meal.
Experts estimate that the bone collector caterpillar’s lineage dates back over six million years, which would make it significantly older than the modern islands of Hawaiʻi. This would suggest that the species may have been more widespread across the ancient, sunken islands in the northwest.
Unfortunately, the bone collector caterpillar is endangered, and scientists from UH are calling from immediate conservation efforts to preserve the habitat of the insect and prevent their extinction.
The one-of-a-kind caterpillar was found in a small forest around the Waianae mountain range, and their uniqueness has left their researchers in awe.
“It’s akin in the entomological world for us for finding a unicorn because it’s something that just shouldn’t be,” Rubinoff said. “Caterpillars are overwhelmingly herbivorous. That means they just eat plants. So to find one that isn’t eating plants, that’s eating meat, is already enough of a weird situation.”