Talk:Megalopyge opercularis

"Irony"

Ironically, the resemblance of the larvae to soft, colorful cotton balls encourages people to pick them up and pet them.

Why is this ironic? --80.42.24.169 (talk) 19:43, 17 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Because the caterpillars are extremely dangerous to touch, given as how their furry appearance conceals venomous spines.--Mr Fink (talk) 20:05, 17 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The deadly pain is an unexpected outcome, so yes it is ironic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.106.47.153 (talk) 23:18, 20 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Credibility of Vitamin C Treatment

Whoever edited this article to include the link about large doses of vitamin C being successfully used to treat the venom, please supply a credible medical source as opposed to a website dedicated to praising the health benefits of vitamin C. Seeing as how the only other source I was able to turn up with a brief search was the notorious NaturalNews.com and not anything published in peer-reviewed journals I'm inclined to disbelieve the claim and consider it unverifable. Archmage Brian (talk) 01:47, 24 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"Bolivia Bug"

Just out of curious, why is it named Bolivia bug if it's habitat is limited to the USA and Central America?Jso 1985 (talk) 05:47, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently, it's the name of a youtube video where a flannel moth caterpillar is shown: I removed "Bolivia bug" from the list of common names after googling it.--Mr Fink (talk) 06:24, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've removed the link to the Youtube video in question; the larva it shows is clearly not of this species, judging by the images in all the other links and on any other vaguely reliable page. I'll admit that I'm very curious to know what the bug in the video is, but it's not M. opercularis. so sayeth Lucky Number 49 ^{Yell at me!} 20:58, 30 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Locality

I was curious as to why there was no information in the article about where Asps are found. Does this mean they generally blanket the entire earth, or was no data available? 70.160.116.10 (talk) 20:08, 11 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

"Trump Caterpillar"

It needs to be noted that the first mainstream coverage of this insect was by a conservationist who called it a "Trump Caterpillar", after Donald Trump and his infamous wig. I shall amend the article to read "Megalopyge opercularis, also called [existing names], and the Trump Caterpillar"...

There are hundreds of results for "Trump Caterpillar", all pointing to this species alone. I actually found a reputable source from "UK Daily Mail's" Science Corner. --99.157.108.186 (talk) 01:11, 2 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

A while back, a vandal blanked (Edit #624450178) a large portion of the opening paragraph, including all of the sources and references to its resemblance to Donald Trump's hair. I have restored it in the interests of Wikipedia. --99.157.108.186 (talk) 01:06, 19 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The relevant portion has been deleted again. Was this intentional or does it need to be reinstated? --Talvieno (talk) 19:14, 16 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like the user who undid the edit claimed the source tabloids are not reliable sources. I agree. I googled the information in an attempt at finding a more reliable source, but ended up finding tabloids, social media buzz, and blogs. I couldn't find a reputable source. So for now I think it's safe to leave the Trump part out. Thoughts? Andrew. Z. Colvin • Talk 06:34, 4 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

There are a number of non-tabloid sources, also those sources don't need to be scientific because they are only needed for verification that it's a widespread nickname:

We clearly have more than enough evidence to include that in the article. --S I 10:39, 12 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Mimicry

The adult form image looks quite like a bee :: Batesian mimicry? Anthony Appleyard (talk) 04:44, 5 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Megalopyge opercularis/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

I found one of these catepillers in my cube at work last year. I can't believe that I never got stung when picking it up to throw it away. It got out of the trash can and started climbing up the side of the cube. I finally got a cup and took it back outside.

I didn't know what it was until today when I was looking to see what stung a friend this weekend while we were out in the country for the weekend. The Asp had crawled up her leg and stung her just above her knee. She had a huge welt as well as what looked like a nasty rash as she had scratched at it before realizing what had happened. I wish I had known more then as we had plenty of orange juice that we could have given her.

I now have much more respect for this little catepiller.Kacey12 (talk) 12:16, 28 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Last edited at 12:16, 28 April 2008 (UTC). Substituted at 20:05, 1 May 2016 (UTC)

"The body tapers to a tail that extends well beyond the body" ?!!?

The body extends beyond the body? Perhaps the fur tapers? I have no access to the source. Login54321 (talk) 15:49, 26 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Read it again. The tail extends beyond the body. Dgndenver (talk) 05:13, 28 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Toxicity of the adult?

I've looked around for info to see if the adults inherit the toxicity of the larva, but every article focuses exclusively on the larvae. Is there any research that can demonstrate if the adult form is also toxic to the touch? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.86.253.74 (talk) 17:31, 22 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

From what I can find about M. opercularis' toxicity, which focuses entirely on the spines found on the larval skin, and no mention of any potential danger posed by the adults (beyond them spawning those fluffy abominations), the adults probably do not have poisonous spines like the larvae. But don't quote me on that.--Mr Fink (talk) 17:54, 22 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Colloquial names

There appear to be a list of colloquial names without any reference. I feel that such a long list of local names needs citations if available.

In addition, Hossler in Dermatologic Therapy (2009, vol 22, no 4) listed several other colloquial names: wooly slug, opossum bug, asp, Italian asp, "el perrito" (the little dog), and "bicho peludo negro" (the black hairy bug). Should these also be included in the already excessive list? Andrew. Z. Colvin • Talk 06:40, 4 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I added some of the names and cited the source. I did not add the foreign colloquial names. Should those be included? Andrew. Z. Colvin • Talk 06:50, 4 September 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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