Hyalophora cecropia cocoon, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia,
March 17, 2019, courtesy of Krista Melville.
Hyalophora cecropia cocoon, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia,
March 17, 2019, courtesy of Krista Melville.
Hi All,
Krista Melville of Hammmonds Plains, Nova Scotia, Canada, sends the following images of wild Hyalophora cecropia cocoons, one found about a foot off the ground, the other about four feet off the ground. I have sometimes seen them about 8-9 feet off the ground, always attached longitudinally to a tree branch or trunk. The mature cecropia larvae tend to wander when they are ready to spin and are not always found on the natural host.
Hyalophora cecropia cocoon, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia,
March 17, 2019, courtesy of Krista Melville.
Hyalophora cecropia cocoon, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia,
March 17, 2019, courtesy of Krista Melville.
The Callosamia and Samia species hang from tree twigs by silken peduncles often an inch or two in length. Although not as large in length or girth compared to cecropia, they can be spotted fairly easily. Most of the ones I have seen in the wild have been hanging head high or higher.
I have also encountered, mid winter, one wild polyphemus cocoon on PEI hanging from a birch tree branch by a similar silken peduncle, but most of the time overwintering polyphemus cocoons, in colder climates, are spun up in surrounding ground debris and leaf litter, or possibly wrapped in leaves that fall to the ground. I have been told it is not uncommon in the southern states to see overwintering polyphemus cocoons hanging from trees.
The Eupackardia calleta and Rothschildia lebeau forbesi cocoons in Texas also hang from twigs via a silk peduncle.
I would love to see and display images of cocoons in their natural setting in the newsletters. Take a nice walk in the sun and see what you can find. Sometimes you will find cocoons that emerged the previous summer, and often you will find cocoons whose larvae have been parasitized, but sometimes you will be lucky enough to find the cocoon of a nice healthy female who will call in a wild male and give you some nice fertile eggs for caterpillar rearing! Happy hunting. Take a friend or youngster with you.
Krista also sent me these images of an Antheraea polyphemus cocoon which appears to be hanging from the tip of a birch twig.
Antheraea polyphemus cocoon, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia,
December 31, 2018, courtesy of Krista Melville.
Antheraea polyphemus cocoon, Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia,
December 31, 2018, courtesy of Krista Melville.
Callosamia promethea larva, Washtenaw County, Michigan, courtesy of John Christensen
Callosamia promethea cocoon, Washtenaw County, Michigan, courtesy of John Christensen
I (Bill Oehlke) can remember hunting for cecropia cocoons after leaf drop in eastern New Jersey. Dad told me to look near the base of elderberry bushes, and there they were often found in abundance. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow and about 40-45 F in the afternoon so I may take a drive to see if I can see any cecropia cocoons on alder bushes along the road. The snow is still too deep for walking in most places. I drive very slowly along the shoulder of the road and regularly check the rear view mirror to make sure I'm not hindering traffic in any way. In another few weeks I will probably talk a walk along some of the trails in the woods to see what I can spot.
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We hope again to begin offering eggs in March from the southern states, and should be able to offer most of the regular Saturniidae species thoughout the spring and summer at various times. I am looking for egg suppliers of Arizona and Texas and California species that are not on my usual list which is expected to include the following species: Actias luna; Antheraea polyphemus; Automeris io; Callosamia angulifera; Callosamia promethea; Citheronia regalis; Dryocampa rubicunda; Eacles imperialis; Hyalophora cecropia; Hyalophora columbia; Samia cynthia.
If you would like to become an egg shipper to US destinations, let me know and I will send you a copy of the working arrangements I have with other suppliers so you can decide whether you want to be involved.
There are some notes (below the pricelist from 2018, now updated for 2019) that might help you know when eggs of various species become available.
Here is the 2019 pricelist for eggs expected spring, summer, early fall of 2019. Do not send a payment until I have confirmed your order or have directed you to send the payment. Please be sure to provide the information requested below when sending an egg enquiry:
1) Complete name and shipping address
2) Species and quantities of each species that you desire
3) dates when you woud or would not be able to receive eggs
4) your intended method of payment: Personal check, cashier's check, international money order, Paypal. With paypal there will be an additional 4.5% fee
as that is how much Paypal deducts from the money that I receive. The egg prices below already include the shipping fee, but they do not include the Paypal fee.
Price list for USA customers, 2019. All prices quoted are in US dollars and already include the shipping fee, but do not include the Paypal fee of 4.5%:
Actias luna 8.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $14.00; 24 at $19.50; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Antheraea polyphemus 8.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $14.00; 24 at $19.50; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Automeris io $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Callosamia angulifera $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Callosamia securifera $9.50 + 8.00 for 12 = $17.50; 24 at 25.50; 34.50; $8.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen; very questionable
Callosamia promethea 8.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $13.50; 24 at $19.00; 36 at $24.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Citheronia regalis $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Dryocampa rubicunda $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen; very questionable
Eacles imperialis $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Eupackardia calleta $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Hyalophora cecropia $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Hyalophora columbia columbia $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen; questionable
Samia cynthia 7.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $13.00; 24 at $19.00; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
I expect shipping dates for 2019 to be similar to what they were for 2018, but no guarantees.
In 2018 we began shipping luna eggs on March 20 from Alabama (two orders). A second batch of luna egg orders was shipped
March 29 (four orders); more luna April 11, also from Alabama. Luna eggs shipped from North Carolina May 8; May 15; May 23-June 1 from Ohio. June 14 Ohio; June 16 Alabama
We shipped first generation luna cocoons from Alabama May 8-20, with more possible near end of May: many shipped late May to early June.
Antheraea polyphemus shipped from Alabama April 24; from North Carolina May 15; Ohio May 31-June 1; New York June 3, June 17; Ohio June 10
Automeris io from Virginia, June 6; Ohio June 12
Callosamia angulifera from Maryland; June 18
Callosamia promethea from Ohio, May 23; June 7; June 16
Callosamia securifera from Alabama, June 12
Citheronia regalis from Maryland, June 7-9; June 20; from Ohio late June early July
Eacles imperialis shipped from Alabama May 16; June 7; June 18; from Ohio late June, July
Hyalophora cecropia eggs are available from Alabama as of April 5; April 14; Ohio May 30.
Samia cynthia eggs are available from Alabama as of April 2.
Possibly we will have some Sphingidae eggs: Pachysphinx modesta and Smernthus cerisyi are the most likely, same price as regalis eggs.
Quite often during the summer months we have non-diapausing Actias luna and Antheraea polyphemus cocoons from the more southerly
states. We also often have pupae of Heraclides cresphontes, the giant swallowtail, for shiping during the summer.
I also intend to purchase large quantities of cocoons and pupae of local (North American) Saturniidae and possibly Sphingidae in the fall. If you would like to
become a supplier of fall livestock, please send me an email. oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Here is what is happening in US in spring-summer 2019:
March 17: Actias luna pairings of reared females with wild fly-in males; Florida and Alabama; some eggs are being shipped March 18-19 to southern states.
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In Canada I am now sold out of all cocoons except for about fifteen Antheraea polyphemus available at $6.00 CDN plus postage plus HST or GST.
In the US, we still have polyphemus that can be shipped from Ohio; polyphemus that can be shipped from Colorado; and polyphemus and Eupackardia calleta that can be shipped from Texas. Everything else is sold out in USA.
Possibly we will hold off on shipping any more calleta until spring as they might not tolerate subfreezing temperatures. Exceptions could be made to shipping to southern states. Those who have already received calleta cocoons shouild not expose those cocoons to freezing temperatures.
In an effort to move the remaining cocoons out before they start emerging, I have reduced the price on remaining polyphemus cocoons to $5.00 US/cocoon, discounted to $4.50 if you order ten or more, and the calleta cocoons are discounted to $7.00 reduced to $6.50 if you order ten or more. There is a $9.00 S & H fee on all cocoon orders.
I am pretty sure that this week (March 11-17) and possible next week are probably the latest the calleta can be shipped before they start emerging. The remaining polyphemus can probably be shipped up to mid April, but some big order s have recently come in, so they will liekly be sold out before then.
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Sphingidae Express
Recently posted some Eumorpha cissi and Isognathus allamandae images, and Cesar Ivan Caballero de la Cruz has sent some beautiful images of Adhemarius daphne daphne from Morupe, Lambayeque, in northwestern Peru. He has also confirmed Hyles annei, Hyles lineata, Agrius cingulata and what I am pretty sure is a Manduca sexta ssp. from Motupe.
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Catocala Capers
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I received some images of a live Dirphia female from Risaralda, Colombia. I originally determined them to be Dirphia somniculosa somniculosa but I think they are more likely the recently described Dirphia somoccidentalis from northwestern Ecuador.
I also received an image of a live female Cerodirphia from Carabobo, Venezuela. I am pretty sure it is Cerodirphia araguaensis described from nearby Aragua.
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Andrew Aldercotte has recently sent me many images with data of Saturniidae from Panama. I am still working on them.
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I still have many images from Bernhard Wenczel to process. With all the new species described in the last few years it is very difficult to keep up with creeating new files and national checklists. Id work is becoming more and more difficult so I am also creatng comparison charts to help me narrow down choices when there are many possibilities.
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Stefan Naumann recently sent me a publication with pictures and information about some recently described Saturniidae species from southern and Central Vietnam. I have recently posted files for the following species in red, and hope to have the others completed and posted very shortly. I will be working on some of them today, January 16. I have now posted all the images to newly created files on an updated Vietnam page. The Coscinocera misoolensis can be accessed from the Papua new Guinea page.
Saturnia (Rinaca) simloides;
Saturnia (Rinaca) thibetomima;
Saturnia (Rinaca) ngoclinhensis;
Lemaireia mediovietnama;
Cricula sokola;
Cricula acuta;
Actias laovieta;
Antheraea (Antheraea) scida;
Antheraea (Antheraea) luteofrithi;
Rhodinia extremaustralis;
Coscinocera misoolensis.
I will be updating national checklists and genera checklists as well. While working on the Lemaireia mediovietnama, listed above, I found there were some additional Lemaireia names that had been put forward, and I also found some additional images. The entire Lemaireia genus list has been updated as have individual Lemaireia species files.