Hi All,
Another stunning image of a male Actias dubernardi has arrived. This one is courtesy of Jean Haxaire.
The image is posted in the photography section and also graces the opening page for the newly "completed" China section. Jean has also sent an outstanding image of the female, posted to photography section.
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My father, Don Oehlke, has just sent me his pricelist for eggs for spring/summer 2005. All payments for orders must be sent directly to him with correspondence by email only.
He writes, "Here is our current price list for ova: Please reserve now! No discounts! First dozen of each species $12.00 Post and pack included. If you want an extra dozen of the species you are ordering, please use table below: (Canada and Europe first dozen $13.00 each species. For additional dozen, use table below.)
Citheronia regalis each additional dozen ---------- $8.00
Automeris io each additional dozen ---------- 5.00
Antheraea polyphemus each additional dozen --------------- 5.00
Callosamia angulifera each additional dozen --------------- 7.00
Actias luna each additional dozen --------------- 5.00
Callosamia promethea each additional dozen --------------- 5.00
Samia cynthia each additional dozen --------------- 5.00
Hyalophora cecropia each additional dozen ----------------5.00
We will e-mail when we ship, Please keep in mind, OVA wont last long in a hot mail box! Your tel# will help along with mailing addr. Each Pack of ova will be shipped on the day the eggs are deposited.
YOU MUST RESERVE BY EMAIL. ALL orders must be pre-paid in US dollars, (No pay pal) We will confirm your order when payment is received. International money orders accepted. Please remit to:
Don Oehlke
34 McCann Mill Road
Pottersville, NJ 07979 U.S.
Email: gamster28@hotmail.com
Personal check, money order or cash in US funds. ORDER NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He is in New Jersey so some stock will double brood and eggs will be available at times different (some earlier than, some later than) from my own selection of eggs.
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My (Bill Oehlke's) egg prices for 2005 are posted
at
http://www.s89032563.onlinehome.us/livestock.htm
There are some differences.
Alan Marson has just sent me a very well written article on the rearing of Attacus atlas in the U.K.. Pictures are beautiful, and there are good tips for rearing no matter what the geography! See the Members' Articles section. I hope more of you will share rearing experiences for various species. Images are desirable, but not absolutely necessary.
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Yuri Berezhnoi has recently sent me some very nice images on display in the photography section: Actias chapae, Actias rhodopnema, Rhodinia, Epiphora, Antheraea, etc.. The pictures were taken by Viktor Siniaev. Yuri also offers livestock (currently Neoris huttoni from Kyrghyzstan) from the Russia. His contact information is linked from the images in the photography section, from the individual files containing his images and also below:
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Patrick Marceau writes about a jewel box he is offering: "Beautiful hand made jewel box with butterfly in the cover. These boxes are perfect for zoo, insects shop, butterfly house, etc. Many colors are available like: old ash, cognac, natural and black. One size available for now: 4.5' x 4' x 2' inches."
Contact Patrick for price at info@lepidoptera-rearing.com
A picture has been posted in the members' Sidelines Section.
Patrick has also launched a new web site on rearing at http://www.lepidoptera-rearing.com
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Franz Renner has just sent me many foodplant recommendations. I will be uploading them to the individual files. Note, many eggs have come from Shin-ichi-Ohshima. See bottom of page in "Eggs Available" Section.
Dear Bill,
Please find a foodplantlist for Saturniidae, based on my OWN experience. Most of the species are from China. If the material is from other contries, I have this noted.
Aglia japonica: I has only success with Prunus padus. (eggs: obligingness Shin-ichi-Ohshima)
Loepa damartis: Eggs are overwintering. The fresh hatched larvae eat only Vitis (= Grape). When the larvae is half grown, a good foodplant is Parthenocissus (= Woodbine).
Loepa anthera: The best foodplant is Parthenocissus, also Vitis (= Grape) is a possible foodplant.
Loepa kuangdungensis: The best foodplant is Parthenocissus; some larvae eat also Vitis (= Grape) but I think Vitis is not a good foodplant.
Saturnia (Caligula) japonica: My experience based on Japanese and Siberian material. The best foodplant is Juglans (Walnut). Quercus (Oak) is also a possible foodplant (eggs: friendly obligingness Shin-ichi-Ohshima)
Caligula jonasii: My experience with material from Japan: The only foodplant is Prunus padus. (eggs: friendly obligingness Shin-ichi-Ohshima)
Saturnia (Caligula) simla: My experience based on India material. The best foodplant is Juglans (Walnut).
Saturnia (Caligula) cachara: Best foodplant is Prunus padus (Bird cherry)
Rhodinia tenzingyatsoi: The fresh hatched larvae only eat Prunus padus (Bird cherry). The half grown up larvae are eat very very well Prunus (= Cherry).
Rhodinia newara: Best foodplant is Prunus padus (Bird cherry). The half grown up larvae eat very well Prunus (= Cherry). I made a try with Quercus (Oak), some larvae eats a a little bit of this plant.
Rhodinia fugax: The Japanese fugax only eat Quercus. I have tried many other plants but without success. (eggs: friendly obligingness Shin-ichi_Ohshima)
Caligula thibeta: Best and only foodplant is Prunus padus (Bird cherry).
Antheraea yamamai: Best foodplant is Quercus (Oak); the larvae eat also Fagus (Beech)
Actias dubernardi: Best foodplant is Larix (= Larch). Further good plants are Picea (= Spruce) and Pinus sp.
Actias selene: Best foodplant is Juglans (= Walnut). A good foodplant is also Crataegus (= Hawthorn)
Actias artemis artemis: With siberian Material I have the best success with Salix (Willow).
Actias artemis aliena: The Japanese larvae eat Juglans (= Walnut). (eggs: friendly obligingness Shin-ichi-Ohshima)
Actias gnoma: The only foodplant is Alnus. Material from Japan (eggs: friendly obligingness Shin-ichi-Ohshima)
Actias sinensis: The best and ONLY foodplant is Liquidambar (Sweetgum). I have tested much other plants, but no plant was eaten by the larvae!!
Caligula anna: I have not found any foodplant, all larvae died!!
Neoris sp.: Prunus padus and Ligustrum
Brahmaea ssp: (japonica, wallichi, hearseyi, tancrei) The best foodplant for the fresh hatched larvae is Ligustrum (= Privet). The half grown up larva eat very well Syringa (= Lilac) and Fraxinus (= Ash). Brahmaea christophi Only success with Fraxinus! Material from the typus-locality. Brahmaea ledereri Only success with Fraxinus! Material from Turky.
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Membership: To make the WLSS more secure, I will probably soon be converting to a login/password system for access to WLSS. Members will be advised when this goes into effect so that login and passwords can be assigned/selected/recorded. There are currently over 400 members worldwide and over 100 of them have been given gift memberships by myself for their major contributions of images and information. I have no problem extending the complimentary memberships to advanced Saturnidae/Sphingidae enthusiasts who wish to help develop the site with images and information (identification help, foodplants, flight times, distribution data). If you know of anyone who might wish to contribute in this manner, please have them contact me so they can be included when the login/password goes into effect.
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Rolf Oberprieler has recently helped greatly with identifications of Saturniidae images from Tanzania (David Bygott) and Zaire (Heinz Rothacher). Rolf has also sent some very interesting information about Bunaea alcinoe which I have posted to that file.
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Thierry Bouyer and Teemu Klemetti have helped with identifications of Pseudantheraea discrepans and Nudaurelia dione images sent to me by Frderik Goussey.
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Richard Moore of New Zealand indicates he will have many Opodiphthera eucalypti cocoons for sale very shortly. These will be available in Europe only. You can contact Richard at Richard.Moore@vuw.ac.nz
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Russell Witkop has been sending me habitat pictures for many of the Hemileuca species: H. hera magnifica, tricolor, nuttalli, electra clio, griffini, and some images of second and fourth instar griffini larvae. Much of this is not available elsewhere so a special thanks goes out to Russell who has been doing much travelling.
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Robert Lemaitre has sent me some beautiful larval images: Arsenura beebei, Rothschildia aurota, Rothschildia hopfferi, and some hybrids (pair and larvae) of Samia canningi x Samia ricini, posted to the hybrid section.
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Marius Aurelian sent me a nice image of a Hemileuca hera larva on Artemesia tridentata from the interior of southern British Columbia, Canada. The image has been posted to the photography section as well as to the individual file.
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Already quite a few orders for rearing sleeves, prepaid orders for eggs (July 1, 2005 post date), and even some orders for fall 2005 cocoons (October 1, 2005 post date) have arrived. Now is the time to place orders, especially for eggs.
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Michael van Buskirk sent me a beautiful image of a pair of Hyalophora cecropia from the Cibolo Nature Center near Boerne, Kendall County, Texas. The moths paired at 5:55 a.m., March 26, 2005. Image up in photography section.
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Bernhard Wenczel has recently sent me very nice images (his own and one by Viktor Suter) of Othorene hodeva larva. I hope to have them posted shortly.
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Kirby Wolfe recently sent me beautiful images of Automeris harrisorum, Lonomia electra and Saturnia pyri. All uploaded to Kirby Wolfe Collection and also to Photography section.
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I've recently started checklists for the provinces of China. Preliminary work is accessed through Far East file by clicking on China. Help in this area would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to tremendous help from Roger Kendrick, I have been able to make great progress.
It has been interesting to learn of the topography and climate of China as I go through this process. I'm also getting better at recognizing Chinese characters.
I will probably start sections on India and Pakistan next, but also wish to complete Mexico state checklists.
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Hostplant images wanted. I am looking for high quality electronic images of Saturniidae host plant foliage. I will begin to create files with foodplant images, linked from the scientific names of the host plants on the various species files.
This will also be done for the butterflies on Caterpillars Too! *******************************
I have now started a checklist for India. Preliminary work is accessed through the India file on the opening page. Help in this area would be greatly appreciated.
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Check out the Thailand checklist page with many new images in the individual species files from new member John Moore.
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I have recently obtained permission to use Saturniidae images from F.Y. Huang of Taiwan Insect-Sales.com. Images will be posted over the next couple of weeks. Contact info is on the Dried Specimens page.
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The Robert Thompson Gallery of Limited Edition Fine Art Exhibition Prints is now also linked from the main page of the WLSS. Initial response has been quite high and as of February 22, Robert is down to a single print (now sold out) of Actias dubernardi. There is probably still time to get the limited edition prints of the other species.
On March 18, I received a print of Hyalophora cecropia. It is equally as stunning and, as soon as I get a frame made for it, I will post an image.
Image now up at Robert Thompson Cecropia.
My daughter commented that the dubernardi print reminded her of a ballerina and my wife had to agree. Soon the entire livingroom will be covered with moth pictures. They are great additions!
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See Thibaud Decaens Collection and Photography section for some great new images from Thibaud. I have added Ithomisa kinkelini to Thibaud's collection.
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I continue to make progress on suggested pronunciations of scientific names. Many thanks to all the members from Texas who tried to help with Chinati Mountains for Hemileuca chinatiensis.
Ric Peigler and Mike McCormick have first hand knowledge and confirm chee-NAH-tee so I will go with chee-nah-tee-ENS-ihs.
You will shortly begin to see "suggested" pronunciations on the individual species files.
Please note the suggestions are merely suggestions. I will probably be emailing many of you for help with common usage of species from your immediate area, especially when species names end in "ensis". I will probably also ask for help with some of the honourific names that end in "i" or "ae".
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Sphingidae Express
I have just finished a section on St. Kitts.
Members Tony and Pat James from Cornwall, UK, sent me some images from St. Kitts: Protambulyx strigilis, Enyo lugubris or Enyo boisduvali, Pachylia ficus and a larval shot of Erinnyis ello.
Member Jean Haxaire has sent me images of Enyo boisduvali and Enyo latipennis to add to the Sphingidae of the Americas website.
Member Marius Aurelian has sent me images of Hyles lineata from the southern interior of British Columbia. Images are linked from the lineata file.
Non-member Pierre A. Plauzoles has sent me some interesting information on one of the host plants for Agrius cingulata. Information has been posted to the individual file.
I have posted a link from the Sphingidae Site and also from the WLSS to the Sphingidae site of new member John Moore who has some beautiful images of Sphingidae from Thailand.
I will shortly (now done) be uploading some additional links to other outstanding Sphingidae sites. If you know of some that should be added, please contact me.
José Clavijo and Dr. María Esperanza Chacin and others have collaborated to put together an excellent new site for Venezuela Sphingidae. The distribution maps are especially helpful. They have also granted me permission to use the images of previously undepicted Venezuelan Sphingidae on Sphingidae of the Americas site. I have updated the Venezuela page and have posted a link to their site on that page.
Paul Johnson has sent me some info on Artonotus lucidus which I have added to that file. Paul also indicates he will shortly be sending me complete life history images for Euproserpinus.
A very nice image of Deilephila nerii from Maui, Hawaii, was sent to me by Sally Knight-Valencia.
Bonnie Caruthers sent me a nice image of a protambulyx strigilis female, courtesy of her mother and father from Venice, Florida.
Jean Haxaire has also helped with identifications of some images courtesy of Frederik Gousssey, including one of Adhemarius daphne which has recently been elevated to full species status.
Beautiful pictures of freshly eclosed Erinnyis ello from St Kitts, courtesy of Tony and Pat James have been uploaded to individual file.
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Thierry Bouyer has sent me some corrections to the African species. I will post the corrections shortly on the individual species files (not done yet). Thierry writes, "Some corrections for the site (for some I am sure 100 % it is not the correct name despite I cannot give a name i.e. for Goodia and Orthogonioptilum that need to be dissected).
- Lobobunaea determined by R.O. as niepelti is L. rosea
- Parusta determined as P. xanthops is in fact a Pseudaphelia sp
- Athletes figured as nyanzae is ethra
- the Gonimbrasia figured as alcestris godarti is a G. belina
- the Gonimbrasia figured as anthinoides is not anthinoides
(but one of the Tanzanian endemic)
- the synonymy listed for ungemachti concern another orientalis as
those you figured and writed under Imbrasia orientalis
- The figured specimen for Imbrasia obscura is I. epimethea
- the figured specimen of Usta angulata is not (it is of the
terpsichore group)
- the figured Goodia obscuripennis is not this sp
- the figured Orthogonioptilum falcatissimum is not this sp
- the same for O. piersoni (male and female)
- Gynanisa figured as jama is G. hecqui
- the 2 specimens figured Gynanisa under nigra are not (maja for the
first and probably jama for the second). I know nigra as good species
only from Malawi and Zimbabwe (see my paper)
- the pair figured in small under Epiphora boolana is rectifascia.
(the first big figured is correct)
- the figured specimen under Epiphora vacuna is a ploetzi
- Eustera figured under argus is E. troglophylla, correct name for
the genus is Eudaemonia"
Please note, corrections are being made as the corrections arrive. Some improper identifications come from errors in texts/references, some from misidentifications from dealers, some from my own errors.
The African Saturniidae still require much study and there will probably be many revisions over the years. Not all with considerable experience in this area are in agreement. I will post the names of those who submit corrections so that appropriate correspondence can be initiated and differences can perhaps be resolved.
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At the request of some members I am posting a "BAD TRADERS" report. It can be accessed from the main page of the WLSS.
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Please check the Members' Wish list periodically and help when you can.
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Catocala Capers
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I have been steadily pecking away at checklists for states of Mexico, but it will probably be several months before I have all the Hemileucinae completed.
If you wish to help or want to watch development, the states' checklists can be accessed from the Mexico file.
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I'm making steady progress on Caterpillars Too!, a North American butterfly website featuring caterpillars as well as the adult butterflies. I will add as many hostplant images to this site as I can find.
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