Larva Legs 
Larvae move using six conventional jointed legs and ten fleshy false legs.The six true legs are attached to the thorax and each have a claw to grasp objects. Behind the true legs, on the abdomen, are five pairs of additional "false legs" called prolegs. These do not have claws and aren't found on adult butterflies.
 Many Crochets (tiny fishooks) are located at the tips of each proleg. These Crochets are arranged in a circle, when the proleg is lowered the hooks of the crochets swing down and out and hook into the silk mat or attach to a leaf. This adaptation prevents the larva from falling to its death, even when at rest. The larva's wavelike motion is due to the lowering and raising of its prolegs.
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Larva Body Segments
The caterpillar has three body segments, like all insects:
- Head
The Larva chews food with its mandibles. It eats only solid plant material from its host plant. Their eyes do little more than distinguish day from night. To avoid predators, they are nocturnal feeders and try to remain motionless on host plants during the day. Underneath the heads are glands which exude a liquid that forms silk strands. These strands secure the larvae to the surface on which they are walking and are used to secure them when they hang. Also, these strands can be used to protect them from predators. The webbing prevents the predator from having easy access to the larvae. Beneath the head is a spinneret which produces silk that the larva uses to create a mat to walk on or make a nest.
- Thorax
The thorax is very hard to distinguish on a caterpillar. It is immediatly behind the head and possesses three pairs of true legs on the underside. When the caterpillar becomes an adult, the wings will form in the area directly above these legs.
- Abdomen
The abdomen is the largest segment of the larvae and consists mostly of the digestive system. On the underside of the abdomen are a number of prolegs that ar equipped with thousands of tiny hooks that help the larva walk. The spots alongside the abdomen are called spiracles and help the larva to breathe. It has an exoskeleton and sheds or molts this exoskeleton about five times before it grows into a pupa.
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