Slug Caterpillar

This slug caterpillar turns into a very plain brown moth with stinging spines.
(Smithsonian Institution)

This slug caterpillar (Acharia horrida), which will eventually metamorphosize into a very plain brown moth, has stinging spines that are very nasty to rub up against. Although the slug caterpillar family occurs worldwide, this species is found only in the tropics. More about mangroves can be found in our Mangroves featured story.