November 16 to December 15, 2010

Hi All,

Happy Thanksgiving. Christmas is coming!

Christmas Sale

Luna moths for show In a cold sleep for a while Watch them when they grow Bringing out a smile Pretty pollies too Nestled in their beds Will flash their eyes of black and blue And turn your summer heads Get them now! Get them now! Get them while you can! See what fun it is to buy For a Christmas silkmoth fan!

Yes, I still (December 1, 2010) have a large luna inventory, and some of my cocoon suppliers have excess polyphemus, promethea, cecropia and columbia gloveri.

I also still have nice pupae of Citheronia splendens sinaloensis, nice cocoons of Automeris io, and some nice butterfly pupae: Papilio troilus.

I am offering big discounts during the month of December to move out inventory.

December 2010 prices while supplies last:

Actias luna at $4.00 US/cocoon; $3.75 each for ten or more
Antheraea polyphemus at $4.25 US/cocoon; $4.00 each for ten or more
Automeris io at $4.35 US/cocoon
Callosamia promethea at $4.00 US/cocoon; $3.75 each for ten or more
Hyalophora cecropia at $5.75 US/cocoon; $5.25 each for ten or more
Hyalophora columbia gloveri at $6.00 US/cocoon; $5.50 each for ten or more
Citheronia splendens sinaloensis pupae at $14.00 US/pair = 1 male and 1 female
Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail) at $3.75/pupae; $3.50 each for ten or more.

These prices will be in effect for the month of December while supplies last. There is one shipping and handling fee whether you order one item or fifty items, etc.. The last shippping date for the month of December will be Monday, December 13, 2010. Orders placed and paid for after December 13, will be shipped early in the New Year, after the holiday rush is over.

All prices listed above are in US dollars. Items will be shipped from New Hampshire by my US shipping partner. If you are in Canada, the only items still available for shipping within Canada are Actias luna and Antheraea polyphemus. Please note, shipping within Canada is also higher than the $8.00 quoted for US shipments.

Payment by paypal is preferred if you are in a rush to get the items before Christmas. There is a 4% Paypal transaction fee. If pre-Christmas receipt is not important, I am happy to receive payment by personal check, international bank or postal money order in US funds, or cashier's check.

If you wish to proceed with an order, send email with your complete shipping address, the species and quantities desired, and your preferred payment method to Bill oehlke. Do not send money until I have confirmed your order with a return email where I wil give you a price quote.

I provide online overwintering instructions, and I provide online instructins for spring/summer emergence of cocoons. I also provide online instructions for rearing these species if you are interested.

Also enquire about special Christmas registration rates for membership in World's Largest Saturniidae Site.

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Hylesia remex male, Itanhandu, Minas Gerais, Brazil,
December 12, 2010, courtesy of Larry Valentine, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.

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Pselaphelia aurata male, Yokadouma, Est Province, Cameroun,
December 11, 2010, courtesy of Michelle Constanza, via Antoine Guyonnet.

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Automeris belti belti specimens have been taken at elevations from 40m to 1385m.

I am not certain whether the following image from Mount Totumas Cloud Forest, Chiriqui, Panama, is Automeris belti belti or possibly a higher elevation subspecies, as it is from over 1600m. I also notice that the bright clear yellow of the hindwing median area does not completely encircle the eyespot as it does on other specimens, depicted as belti. It is a good match however, for Lemaire's description of A. belti.

Automeris belti male, Mount Totumas Cloud Forest, Chiriqui, Panama, possibly 1650m +.

After December 31:

The following species are still available for sale in USA or overseas only. In Canada, I have only luna, polyphemus and some Anisota virginiensis left.

Actias luna at $4.35 US/cocoon
Antheraea polyphemus as $4.75
Automeris io at $4.35
Callosamia promethea at $4.35/cocoon
Citheronia splendens sinaloensis at $16.00/pair
Hyalophora cecropia at $6.40/cocoon
Hyalophora columbia gloveri at $6.40/cocoon

The following butterfly pupae are available:

Pterourus troilus (spicebush swallowtail) at $4.25/pupa

Check the newsletters periodically during fall and winter months in case anything new becomes available.

Always confirm availability before sending a payment.

Please note: I reside in Canada at the following address and payment must be sent to me only at this address:

Bill Oehlke
155 Peardon Road
Montague, Prince Edward Island, C0A 1R0
Canada

Postage from USA to Canada is $0.75 so please use that amount on your envelope with your payment.

This will not likely be the address that will be on the box of cocoons/pupae which you receive. I, myself, will be shipping some cocoons from New Jersey in mid to late October. Do not send payment to that address. One US shipping partner will be shipping cocoons from New Hampshire. Do not send payment to that address. Send payments exclusively to name and address above in Canada.

Please also note: I prefer to receive payment by personal check in US funds. I have a US account here at my local bank. When I receive funds in US dollars I can deposit those checks directly into my US account and do not lose any funds for currency conversions. I can then use those funds, again without having to pay the bank any currency conversion fees, to pay the many US suppliers for the cocoons they have sent to me in New Jersey or to my shipping partner in New Hampshire.

I can also accept International bank or postal money orders, but those must be International money orders in US funds. Please do not send payment in the form of US money orders as they are cashable only in US, and I am in Canada.

I can accept payment in US dollars via Paypal, but there is approximate 4% Paypal transaction fee that I would tack onto your invoice as that is what Paypal charges me. Paypal also directly deposits only into my Canadian account. They convert the money into Canadian dollars. In order to pay my sources in US, I have to reconvert those Canadian dollars back into US dollars and the bank always charges a fee for that, usually from 3-4% on the exchange rate. I would also tack that onto your invoice if you wish to pay by Paypal. Once again I prefer to receive payments by personal check. Please make sure you have sufficient funds in your account to cover your payment.

For overseas customers, I will accept Paypal payent in US funds or direct bank transfers, or personal checks in US dollars, drawn on a US bank. I have also accepted US banknotes in registered letters. I am very interested in purchasing your excess stock (US breeders and Canadian breeders), especially of the less commonly offered species. Please let me know what you might have available for bulk purchases at wholesale prices. US stock can be bulk shipped to US address which I will provide. Do not ship from USA to my Canadian address

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Derek Bridgehouse, an avid North American Saturniid moth researcher/collector/rearer/enthusiast is looking for dried adults of New England Buck Moth (Hemileuca lucina) from the East, i.e, Maine.

He is willing to exchange, and you can contact him directly at Derek Bridgehouse.

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Alan Marson has sent beautiful images of all five instars of Lobobunaea acetes from Togo. Alan reared the first brood on sweetgum (new hostplant) and reports preliminary success with subsequent brood on privet and cider gum. Visit acetes file for link to images. It is first time all five instars of Lobobunaea acetes have been depicted on WLSS. These are from Togo.

Alan has also sent beautiful images of Copaxa rufa larvae, instars 3-5, also reared on Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum) as well as on Eucalyptus gunnii (cider gum). Check them out via link from rufa file.

In September Alan sent me very nice images of Antheraea mylitta, and I am just getting around to posting those images now. I am behind schedule with many postings, but hope to get caught up soon.

Alan Marson writes, September 27, 2010, "I’ve attached a few photos of A mylitta larvae which are better than the old ones that I sent you earlier. They are again on Eucalyptus gunnii. I see that Bruce Passarrelli has them on Sweetgum. Isn’t it a fantastic foodplant?! As Bruce says, many species that take E gunnii will also take Liquidambar and vice-versa. It isn’t always the case though. (I’m thinking of Actias rhodopneuma which is very reluctant to take gunnii, grows very slowly and dies! However, Liquidambar works very well.)"

Many thanks to Alan for all his beautiful image submissions as well as his notes on foodplants.

Alan makes great use of Liquidambar styraciflua. During month of September he sent images of fourth and fifth instar Cricula trifenestrata kransi larvae from Sulawesi, Indonesia. This is first time larvae of that species have been depicted on WLSS.

Cricula trifensestrata kransi fifth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.

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Gary Saunders has just sent beautiful images of mature larva, male and female Cricula trifenestrata kransi from Sulawesi. This marks the first time images of live adult kransi have been posted to WLSS.

Cricula trifenestrata kransi female, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Gary Saunders.

A new contact in Panama has given me permission to post his images of Saturniidae.

Paradirphia semirosea male, Mount Totumas Cloud Forest, Chiriqui, Panama,
1600m +, courtesy of Jeffrey Dietrich.

Nigel Venters has just sent beautiful images of live females of Rothschildia condor and Automeris amanda tucumana from Tucuman Province, Argentina. He also sends obervations on voltinism and foodplants. It is first time live females of these two species are depicted on WLSS.

Rothschildia condor female, Tucuman, Argentina, 2000m
November 19, 2010, courtesy of Nigel Venters.

Automeris amanda tucumana female, Tafe de Valle, Tucuman, Argentina, 2000m,
November 19, 2010, courtesy of Nigel Venters,
ex ova from females caught November 12, 2009.

Male from Graellsia isabellae male x Actias maenas female,
courtesy of Eric Legrand, via Robert Lemaitre and team.

"Hybrid Graellsia isabellae male x Actias maenas female by R. Lemaitre and part of the breeder team: caterpillars, cocoons and pupae, imagos.

"Success in May 2010 from a natural mating between a male Graellsia isabellae and a female Actias maenas maenas where we obtained hybrid adults by the following team: R. Beck, S. Kohll, P. Guivarch, M. Lamour, E. Legrand, A. Marson, J.C. Tavernier and R. Zaun.

"The first breeding of Actias maenas maenas was conducted by Steve Kohll, from eggs received from northern Thailand, and then a second one in March/April 2010 from the whole breeders team (on Eucalyptus gunnii). An interesting remark, the eggs travelled during winter and a bunch of eggs survived 10 hours at minus 6C.

"We obtained a few natural matings between wild Graellsia isabellae and females of Actias maenas on behalf of calling females of Graellsia isabellae; the offspring were reared on Eucalyptus gunnii, Douglas Pine, Picea abies, Himalayan cedar tree and Liquidambar.

"The breeding lasted between one month and one month and a half depending on the breeding conditions and the plant that was used by the breeders. We obtained male and female cocoons, but for the time being, only the males hatched."

Visit the beautiful series of images in the Hybrid section.

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Joan Young of South Africa has recently given me permission to post her Saturniidae and Sphingidae pictures from South Africa. It is the first time I have been able to post an image of a live Rohaniella pygmaea male to WLSS.

Rohaniella pygmaea male, South Africa, courtesy of Joan Young.

Larry Valentine ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dr. Andrea Sciarretta of ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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I have begun to create thumbnail pictoral checklists for all Canadian provinces and hope to have them all completed and posted by end of November. I am very interested in receiving data and images for any Canadian sightings to add to the data base.

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Sphingidae Express

I am very much interested in receiving and displaying images of Sphingidae adults, eggs, larvae and pupae, even of the common species.

Please always send data to include date and location, at least to county level.

I wouold very much like to continue creation of County/Province level checklists for USA and Canada, and am also very interested in refining checklists for Central and South America.

Many Sphingidae sightings and images have arrived over last couple of weeks and it has been hard to keep up with posting of images and creation of new thumbnail checklists.

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Arctiidae Art

Kirby Wolfe indicates he will be sending me many electronic images of Arctiidae from Costa Rica. I will shortly begin construction of a worldwide Arctiidae site. Those who wish to contribute images of adults and/or larvae or any other stages are welcome to do so. All images that I use remain the property of respective photographers.

I am working on creating the text files and orgainizing names at this stage. It will probably be after Christmas that I do first posting.

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Catocala Capers

Edna Bottorff *******************************

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