Uploaded April 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The caterpillar larvae of bagworm moths or case moths, family Psychidae construct cases out of silk and materials such as leafs, wood and soil as camouflage from predators. Each bagworm makes a case particular to its species, in this case of Pagoda bagworms from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador resembling a Chinese temple. The bagworm extends its head and thorax from the mobile case to devour the leaves of host plants. They also pupate inside their house and adult males take flight to find a mate, while eclosed female moths are wingless. Without leaving their bag they are fertilized by a male moth through the tip of the pagoda. The female lays her eggs inside the bag and seals it with saliva, then leaves its home and dies.
The caterpillar larvae of bagworm moths or case moths, family Psychidae construct cases out of silk and materials such as leafs, wood and soil as camouflage from predators. Each bagworm makes a case particular to its species, in this case of Pagoda bagworms from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador resembling a Chinese temple. The bagworm extends its head and thorax from the mobile case to devour the leaves of host plants. They also pupate inside their house and adult males take flight to find a mate, while eclosed female moths are wingless. Without leaving their bag they are fertilized by a male moth through the tip of the pagoda. The female lays her eggs inside the bag and seals it with saliva, then leaves its home and dies.
