How many true legs and prolegs does a typical caterpillar have?

A typical caterpillar—the larval form of Lepidoptera—possesses three pairs of true, jointed legs attached to the three thoracic segments of its body.12

In addition to these true legs, most species feature fleshy prolegs on their abdominal segments. A typical configuration for many familiar lepidopterans includes five pairs of prolegs, located on abdominal segments 3 through 6 and segment 10.12

However, the number of prolegs can vary significantly across different families:12
* Reduction: Inchworms and some owlet moths have only two or three pairs of prolegs, which necessitates their characteristic looping movement.12
* Loss: Some leaf miners have lost some or all of their prolegs.2
* Modification: Slug caterpillars lack prolegs entirely, utilizing suckers for movement instead.1