High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The zebra caterpillar is the larva of an American noctuid moth (Melanchra picta or Ceramica picta) that feeds on cabbages, beets and other cultivated plants.The head, thorax and forewings of adults are chestnut- or reddish-brown, usually with purplish brown mottling on the wings. The whitish hind wings have pale brown margins. The abdomen is light gray. The wingspan is 35 to 40 mm (about 1-1/2 inches).The newly hatched larvae are whitish, marked by dark heads and several dark spots scattered over the body. The more mature caterpillars vary in color, often displaying bright and conspicuous hues, usually with prominent black and light yellow longitudinal stripes. The top stripe is black, the top-lateral stripe and the stripe below the spiracles are cream to bright yellow, and the spiracle stripe and bottom stripe are black and marked with numerous white lines and spots.