Hi All,
Merry Christmas, happy holidays to all!
As a youngster I spent some time collecting stamps.
I remember the excitement when my stamp packages would arrive.
I would save my money from a weekly allowance, chores, gifts, sales of my grandmother's marmalade, etc., until I had enough money to give Mom so she could send away a check for an order of stamps.
I just felt impressed to write because I now tear off the stamps that come on the many envelopes I receive from all over the world. I take them to the bank and give them to one of the tellers who knows a youngster who collects stamps. She oftens remarks how thrilled he is when he gets a pack.
There are some beautiful stamps out there.
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Christmas is coming. Some of you might want to consider as gifts cocoons and/or chrysalids or membership in WLSS or Caterpillars Too! Special rates from now til Christmas for a gift membership in WLSS is $25.00 U.S.. Special rate for Caterpillars Too! is $15.00 U.S.
I have two Christmas specials on right now:
1) Registration for World's Largest Saturniidae Site is $25.00 now
til Christmas; regularly $40.00
2) Christmas cocoons: two of each: luna, promethea, polyphemus and
cecropia including shipping at $38.00;
regular price for same package is $44.00; now til Christmas only or
until stock runs out.
I also have (December 1) some nice regalis pupae at $16.00/pair (only five pairs left); $7.00 for each additional male (only four extra males left) (font color=red> regalis now sold out) plus postage or they can be shipped with Christmas cocoon special.
Shipping to U.S. destinations only from within U.S. for the special.
There are still good numbers of cocoons of most species, but angulifera are already sold out, and I only have a very small supply of columbia left. Always enquire first about availability, please, before sending payment as new orders come in almost every day and some other species may soon be depleted.
Promethea stocks are now low.
There are still butterfly pupae available from my father.
Overwintering cocoons of Callosamia securifera are expected to be ready for shipping in early December. This species is seldom offered anywhere. Many requests have already arrived. I should know by the first week in December how many will be available. These will be coming from this year's fourth brood in Alabama.
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Don't forget excellent Christmas gift of Kirby Wolfe Saturniidae cd. Details at http://www.insectnet.com/kirby/
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Please vote. January 16, 2007 is the last day to cast your ballot. The WLSS 2006 Photography finalists have been posted in two separate divisions: Fifteen finalists for top moth and ten finalists for the top larva.
Show your appreciation of the photographers by voting, and you might win a prize. There will be a random draw from the voting ballots in each category.
Nice prizes! Visit http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/WLSSphotonm2006.htm to see the finalists and receive voting instructions.
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This recent request arrived regarding info about black lights:
"As I get back in to my hobby and in preparation for next spring I had a few questions regarding black lights. After a quick look on the internet I see there are numerous types and sizes. Some battery powered. Some like flashlights. Some fluorescent. Then, there are a multitude of wattages. Not having used a black light in over forty years I was amazed at the broad range of products available now. So I was wondering if you had any advice and whether you knew of a recent article regarding the use of black lights in attracting moths. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide."
I use a 175 watt clear mercury vapour bulb with refracting lens removed. My father uses what I believe are 75 watt flourescent black light tubes about four to five foot long in conjunction with mv light.
Please provide recommendations regarding your experiences with black lights.
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Carlos Mielke has just sent images and information on four recently described Periphoba species.
Periphoba galmeidai C. Mielke & Furtado, 2006 - honor to Guilherme Almeida Locality: Serra do Penitente, Balsas, Maranhão, Brazil.
Periphoba moseri C. Mielke & Furtado, 2006 - honor to Alfred Moser Locality: Açailândia, Maranhão, Brazil.
Periphoba pessoai C. Mielke & Furtado, 2006 - honor to Antônio Pessoa Locality: Serra da Meruoca, Ceará, Brazil.
Periphoba tangerini C. Mielke & Furtado, 2006 - honor to Nirton Tangerini Locality: Cilu, Vianópolis, Federal District, Brazil.
He indicates, "All males are the holotypes, all females are paratypes."
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Jerome Teva Paire of France is currently working in Ogooue-Maritime Province of Gabon. He has sent me a series of beautiful shots of Saturniidae (at least eight different species; now sixteen plus, new additions almost daily) that responded to lights on November 19-26.
Check them out on the Ogooue-Maritime section accessed from the Gabon page.
Stunning picture of perfect live Eudaemonia trogophylla; many thanks to Thierry Bouyer for id help.
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Teemu Klemetti has sent me a write up about and pictures from his rcent trip to Vietnam. Included are Actias chapae, Salassa lemaii and Saturnia (Rinaca) naumanni. I will post them shortly.
You can now access Teemu's trip via links on the species files listed above or by going to the Members' Articles Section.
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Jean-Louis Albert has just sent nice images of Athletes albicans (recto and verso) and Bunaeopsis aurantiaca (recto and verso) from Franceville, Gabon. I will post them shortly. He also sent what may be a dark Lobobunaea acetes. The wings darken instead of lightening toward the outer margins, however, so I will ask Thierry for a comfirmation (now confirmed as acetes).
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Horst Kach has sent me a stunning image of a live Rhodirphia carminata male as well as recto and verso images of Citheronioides collaris, Citheronia phoronea and Periphoba nigra male and female as well as larvae. Horst also has a new email address which can be accessed from his credits page, linked from his images.
More recently Procitheronia fenestrata, Citheronia aroa, Citheronia hamifera, Citheronia equatorialis, Citheronia bellavista, Citheronia andina, Bathyphlebia eminens.
Horst also provides some slight range extensions beyond those mentioned in Lemaire's Ceratocampinae.
Horst has also sent beutiful images (recto and verso) of spread Rothschildia erycina erycina, Rothschildia erycina nigrescens, Rothschildia hesperus and Rothschildia lebeau inca from Ecuador.
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I seek electronic images of spread Copaxa syntheratoides and Copaxa trottierorum females.
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John Davis has sent a stunning picture of Hemileuca eglanterina shastaensis from Skamania County, Washington. I have also updated Washington map to include H. e. shastaensis, A. polyphemus and H. euryalus, based on John's images/sightings.
John also provided very nice images of Coloradia pandora male and female. These images will also be posted in the 2007 Photo section.
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Jonathon Tubbs has sent abeutiful image of an Actias luna male, to be posted in 2007 Photo section.
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I am making good progress on checklists for states, departments, provinces, etc., for South and Central American countries. As soon as the Ceratocampinae are finished (hopefully by December 10), I will begin to post them. Corrections would be greatly appreciated. I am using Lemaire's data and am also making some interpolations, especially for unreported or under reported areas.
The new checklists will include additional maps and in many cases relief maps. Already the checklists were helpful to me in identifying images of Automeris metzli and Eacles imperialis decoris from Panama.
I am also making some shortcut links from genus listings to country listings and from individual species files to more refined checklists.
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Sphingidae Express
Scott Boutilier writes, "I’m preparing to pull together the collecting information from last summer & fall for Sphingids and Catocala in IL, MN and WI. Do you prefer more detailed location information beyond county or is county enough? I do have GPS coordinates available for the collecting locations. I’m also having some challenges with Catocala identification as I’m just starting out with the group and some are pretty difficult! I was planning on sending you a digital photo with the information with a representative of each Catocala species I collected and tried to identify just for “confirmation” that what species I’m reporting on is what I think it is. If this is a problem please let me know. Should be complete in a couple of weeks."
I thanked Scott and said I would be happy to have a look at images.
Rudolf Haller r.j.haller@freenet.de writes, "I´m looking now or next year for some breeding material (pupae or maybe eggs) of American Sphingidae. Please would you help me and write this inquiry in the next News, you will send to us breeders?
I can pay for the material or it´s also possible to exchange with my Sphingidae-pupae I have now."
Klaus-Jürgen Kleiner KleinerConsult@aol.com, Lichtenfelder Str. 37, D-55743 Idar-Oberstein, Deutschland writes, "Please write, that I am always looking for rare Sphingidae of USA/Canada inclusive eggs and pupae."
Also do not forget Jean Haxaire jean.haxaire@wanadoo.fr seeks North American Sphingidae specimens and livestock.
John Davis surprised me with an image of Hemaris thysbe nectaring in southwestern Washington. I have posted the image to bottom of newly created Skamania County page.
The U.S.G.S. does not list H. thysbe for Washington.
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Catocala Capers
Pierre Legault writes, "I started last weekend a new series of Catocala and sphinx photos for you and will start to email them to you very soon."
I have started work on Scott Boutilier's Catocala images and sightings for McHenry County, Illinois at http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/ilMcHenrycat.htm
John Davis has sent a beautiful image of Catocala aholibah from Klickitat County, Washington, as well as images of verilliana and californica, and he confirms relicta.
I will shortly create a Washington checklist for Catocala. Now done and posted to http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/WashingtonCatocala.htm
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Arctiidae Art
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Caterpillars Too!, a North American butterfly website. This is also a private membership site, distinct from WLSS. Many WLSS members have also registered for this site.
I hope to complete Waukesha County, Wisconsin page tomorrow, November 16. (done)
Now working on Bedford County, Virginia. (done)
Montana page has also been completed, at least to species level (no distribution maps yet).
Skamania County, Washington, and Cook County, Illinois, have just been completed with maps.
Rebekah Garris has sent another series of images of Sussex County, New Jersey, native and introduced wildflowers. Rebekah's images are being linked from butterfly nectar source listings.
She also includes Thymelicus lineola nectaring on an ox-eye daisy. She has also sent nice images of Poanes massasoit and Erynnis baptisiae.
John Davis has given me permission to use some of his butterfly images on the Caterpillars Too! website featuring North American butterflies and their larvae. John's images are some of the finest I have seen. He hails from Skamania County, Washington. Check out his credits page from the Hemileuca eglanterina shastaensis page. There is a link there to his Flicker website collection of nature photos: lots of butterflies, moths, flowers, fungi, and other wonderments!
Outstanding photos for those of you who really appreciate camera art.
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