Bone collector caterpillar

In Hawaii, Hyposmocoma caterpillars (Cosmopterigidae) spin silky, protective cases around themselves. While other species typically attach pieces of shells, wood and algae to the case as camouflage, the newly discovered and undescribed "bone collector" caterpillar (Hyposmocoma sp.) goes for a more eccentric look, using bits of dead insects that it scavenges from around its host spiderweb. Check out the weblinks for some great photos of these interesting caterpillars.

There are other unusual species in the genus, too: one eats snails and one is amphibious! This highly diverse genus of micro-lepidopterans is endemic to the Hawaiian islands, but there are other genera from this family found in Australia.

Rubinoff et al., 2025. Hawaiian caterpillar patrols spiderwebs camouflaged in insect prey’s body parts. Science 388, 428–430 (2025). 25 April 2025.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/04/24/bone-collector-caterpillar-hawaii/

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/caterpillar-wears-body-part-insect-prey