photos

size: 1.5 cm

color: bright green

description: on his back, the little animal carries protuberances, covered by hairs. The animal thus looks like a catterpillar on first sight. However, on the abdomal part, the animal has a slugg-like, pinkish foot. When touching the animal, a paralysing pain is felt within seconds. The stinging pain diminishes rather quickly (5-10 seconds), leaving a more uniformous musscle-pain for ten minutes. The place of skin contact then experiences a rash for another twenty minutes. No obvious traces are left on the skin after being stung.

distribution: according to the rate of being stung, we suggest the density of this animal in the forest is rather low. (However, this technique might not be very accurate to measure density). Individuals encountered were usually on young Ceriops tagal trees in areas with no or sparse adult canopy.