Pleas ID caterpillar

[Monique]

Sorry, it has been a while since I've been on the forum but finally the butterfly season started again with all those beautiful wild flowers flowering!

This morning I saw the periwinkles were covered with beautiful caterpillars. I've checked all the sites for ID but I can't find it anywhere :-(

Hope someone can help me:)

http://www.pbase.com/moniques/image/140436143/medium.jpg

Click for original size (http://www.pbase.com/moniques/image/140436143)

[Angiud]

Wow, one more photographer close to Koh Phangan! Nice to meet you :cheers: but I cannot help for the caterpillar ID. Look to me to be a moth.

[Monique]

Thank you Antonio! I keep forgetting about the moths ;)

Edit: You're right! It's the cat of a hawk moth, but there are so many different species I don't even want to get into that :what:
If one of the mods could please move this topic to the moth section? Thank you!

[Commander]

That looks like the caterpillar of the Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii). My Periwinkle plants have been defoliated by a few of these fat cats!

[Monique]

That looks like the caterpillar of the Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii). My Periwinkle plants have been defoliated by a few of these fat cats!

Thanks very much Commander!

[hkmoths]

That looks like the caterpillar of the Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii). My Periwinkle plants have been defoliated by a few of these fat cats!

no doubt - this is a final instar Daphnis nerii

[Monique]

Thanks for the confirmation and I was stunned when I saw that the bare stems these guys left behind are now covered with leafs and flowers again!