“What kind of worm is this?”, asks Elvira about the black worm-like creature pictured below. “Or is it a caterpillar? Found it moving across the rug in my living room! It had a matte black-like shell with what appeared to be ‘holes’ along its back, was about 2-3 inches long, and its head had two oval-shaped eyes on top of it. I live in Houston, TX. Thanks.” The creature Elvira found is not a worm, but indeed a caterpillar, so her second guess was correct! In particular, this is a velvet armyworm moth caterpillar. We have covered armyworms many times before, in particular the fall armyworm, the most infamous of them all.

Elvira does not need to worry, armyworms are not notorious for how dangerous they are: they do not bite or sting, and they do not possess venom nor are they parasitic. Their infamy stems from their status as an agricultural pest. They come in droves, or ‘armies’ if you will (the technical term for a group of caterpillars), and munch on all the crops and plants until there is practically nothing left! That might be an exaggeration, but they really can cause significant damage when they show up in such large numbers. With all of that said, no such thing is said about the velvet armyworm, but that’s likely because there really is not all that much on the web about velvet armyworms to begin with.

Of course, they still like to munch on plants: in particular low-growing ones, like eggplants and tomatoes. So, with that in mind, they could still prove to be pests in the garden, especially since armyworms characteristically do move in armies, regardless of the species. Then again, Elvira seems to have found this one on his own. The poor thing seems to have gotten separated from its group. What we recommend is that Elvira move the caterpillar outside so that it has a chance of reuniting with its army.

We also want to point out that its skin is not a shell, but just skin, and the “holes” on its back are just spots: they’re probably so dark that they look like holes, especially against the already-dark color of the caterpillar’s body! Likewise, the eyespots she saw are not its real eyes. Many caterpillars possess fake eyespots, which is an evolutionary trait that is meant to scare off predators.

To conclude, the black worm Elvira found on her rug is a velvet armyworm moth caterpillar. How it got into her home is a mystery: it could have crawled in through an open door or window, or maybe it rode in on someone’s clothing or shoes. In any case, they are not harmful, so Elvira needs not worry. We hope this helps and we wish her the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Black, Spotted Worm on Rug is a Velvet Armyworm Moth Caterpillar

Description

"What kind of worm is this?", asks Elvira about the black worm-like creature pictured below. "Or is it a caterpillar? Found it moving across the rug in my living room! It had a matte black-like shell with what appeared to be 'holes' along its back, was about 2-3 inches long, and its head had two oval-shaped eyes on top of it. I live in Houston, TX. Thanks." The creature Elvira found is not a worm, but indeed a caterpillar, so her second guess was correct! In particular, this is a velvet armyworm moth caterpillar. We have covered armyworms many times before, in particular the fall armyworm, the most infamous of them all.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton