March 2005. A caterpillar from a banana in Vietnam.

It was identified as Scopelodes, Limacididae from Vietnam. In Indonesia these caterpillars are common on coconut trees, and known as “ulat api” and thought to be Setoria nitens or slug caterpillars. In the Philippines, they occur on other crops, too; they are polyphagous, attacking a wide range of hosts. And slug caterpillars are also seen in Central america (?Sibine sp.). They were feeding on the leaves and did not generally do much damage. The caligo catepillar did much more damage. The bunches were covered and insecticides used. They are very painful it touched. BT insecticides work well on these caterpillars. Thosea was also mentioned as possibility for the Vietnam specimen.