Hi All,
Happy Valentine's day. This newsletter covers updates from January 16, to February 14, 2008.
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Livestock is sold out here in Canada.
For U.S. and overseas shipping, the following species are still
available from U.S. shipping location (New Hampshire) at membership
prices (adjusted up due to devalued U.S. dollar)
listed below:
Actias luna,
Callosamia promethea at $4.25 U.S./cocoon;
Antheraea polyphemus at $4.50;
Hyalophora cecropia at $6.25.
Butterflies:
Papilio troilus
(Spicebush Swallowtail) at $4.25.
Shipping and handling within U.S. is $8.00. It will be slightly higher for overseas shipping.
I am now accepting Paypal, but please add 4% to total as I still get "dinged" by banks and Paypal when they do currency conversions. I do not have that problem with U.S. checks which I deposit into my U.S. account. I use that U.S. money to purchase stocks in U.S., pay my U.S. shipping partner, or hold it in my U.S. account until conversion factors are more favourable.
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Robert Lemaitre (and team) has sent beautiful images of hybrid Graellsia isabellae x Actias sinensis male, larvae and cocoons, posted in hybrid section.
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Bernhard Wenczel has sent me a series of images of a fourth instar Actias chapae. I have created a file and linked from the A. chapae page.
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Please have a look at the fifteen finalists in the individual moth category of the 2007 WLSS Photography Contest. The images have been posted on the membership site at WLSS Photo Contest 2007. Please vote by sending me notice prior to January 31 of your choice of best photo by indicating name of photographer and/or name of species.
All ballots cast will be entered into a random draw for a $25.00 livestock or supplies prize. You might win.
Images are also posted at WLSS Photo Contest 2007 if you do not want to login to the site to see them.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
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New! February 2008 Publications: There are many excellent journals/magazines/papers being published. They will be listed through the link, hopefully with complete contact and subscription details, as well as a brief description. Editors/Authors can have their works listed here. There is no charge for this service.
If you would like your publisher/editor to have a link here, please have the publisher/editor contact me.
The link for this page is on the WLSS opening page and is called "New! February 2008 Publications". Visit the link for a new magazine coming from Jean Haxaire and associates.
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Dr. Ronald Brechlin has just sent me images and updates on some recently described Actias species: arianeae, chrisbrechlinae, kongjiaria shaaxiana, uljanae, winbrechlini.
He has also sent images of A. kongjiaria and A. neidheoferi, indicating they are distinct species.
There is some clarification on the "species" listed as "vivian", and more clarification is expected on A. felicis.
Dr. Brechlin has also sent me electronic copies of pdf format mongraphs of several other new species from Entomofauna editor Thomas Witt (Germany). I will updates species lists from these monographs, but will not publish them in their original pdf format on the WLSS until 2011 out of respect to the publisher.
I will "barebones" the articles for range, wingspan, flight season, but that is all that I will include in the initial postings on WLSS. I expect that electronic images, additional ranges, larval hosts, etc., will arrive once these species become known. Those images and information will be updated and posted on the species files.
I will also include in the New! February 2008 Publications section contact information for Entomofauna and Thomas Witt should any of you wish to order these original descriptions.
Monograph 1 2007 contains 62 pages with 6 work on the family Lepidoptera Saturniidae:
WITT, TJ & S. N. N - 2007. Salassa Belinda SP. n. – a new Nepalese Saturniid species from the lola WESTWOOD, 1847-group (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae) 1-11.
BRECHLIN, R.: Five new taxa of the genus Actias LEACH, 1815 from China (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) 12-27.
BRECHLIN, R.: Some comments about the genus Rhodinia STAUDINGER, 1892 with the description of new taxa from China (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) 28-43.
BRECHLIN, R.: Comments to the genus Solus WATSON, 1913 with description of a new taxon from China (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) 44-49.
BRECHLIN, R.: Einige Anmerkungen zur Gattung Samia HÜBNER 1819 („1816“) mit Beschreibung einer neuen Art (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) 56-62.
BRECHLIN, R.: Actias witti a new Saturniide of the Little Andaman
(Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) 50-55.
BRECHLIN, R.: Some comments about
the genus Samia HÜBNER 1819 ( "1816") with description of a new
species (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae ) 56-62.
New taxa described:
Salassa belinda Pugaev & Witt, 2007
Salassa belinda aeos Pugaev & Witt, 2007
Actias kongjiaria shaanxiana Brechlin, 2007
Actias arianeae Brechlin, 2007
Actias chrisbrechlinae Brechlin, 2007
Actias winbrechlini Brechlin, 2007
Actias uljanae Brechlin, 2007
Rhodinia rudloffi sinensis Brechlin, 2007
Rhodinia fugax shaanxiana Brechlin, 2007
Rhodinia fugax jiangxiana Brechlin, 2007
Rhodinia fugax guangdongensis Brechlin, 2007
Rhodinia fugax flavescens Brechlin, 2007
Solus parvifenestratus sichuanus Brechlin, 2007
Actias witti Brechlin, 2007
Samia burica Brechlin, 2007
Archaeosamia Brechlin, 2007
I do not know how often this publication carries information about Saturniidae.
Dr. Brechlin also sent images of all of the above, except the Salassa, which he did not author.
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Robert Zaun has sent great images of Actias (gnoma male x luna female) hybrid coupling I obtained in August 2007: larvae and adults. The article and images will be shortly posted to the hybrid section.
Robert has also sent a stunning image of a fourth instar Actias chapae larva.
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Horst Kach has sent beautiful images of live female Automeris postalbida from his rearings. He has also sent images of all instars.
Horst has also sent images of spread specimens of Adeloneivaia boisduvalii, Adeloneivaia catoxantha, Periga angulosa, Periga galbimaculata, Periga herbini, Periga elsa (not previously depicted on WLSS), Periga occidentalis ??, Cerodirphia nadiana, Copaxa andensis, Copaxa orientalis, Eacles adoxa, Leucanella lynx moths and larvae. Horst sends complete data (date and location) as well as recto images.
You may be reading this before I get all of the images posted.
Horst has also sent recto and verso images of what I believe is an undescribed Leucanella contempta subspecies from Puerto Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador. Images of 2-4 instars from his rearings on Prunus domestica are also posted on the link from the L. c. contempta page.
Additional recto and verso images of spread Copaxa satellita have also been posted.
Live images of Arsenura archianassa first and second instar larvae on Ceiba pentranda are also being posted, as are images of Copaxa simson female, eggs, and first and second instars.
Arsenura batesii instars 3-5 have also been posted, linked from the A. b. batesii page.
Automeris annulata eggs and instars 2, 4-6 have been posted.
Citheronioides collaris eggs and instars 1-3 with foodplants have been posted; Eacles masoni tyrranus eggs and instars 2-3 with foodplants have been posted. The eggs and early instars were not previously depicted on WLSS.
Horst has also sent recto and verso images of a spread male Eacles adoxa from Napo: Misahualli. I did not have previous records from Napo Province.
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Robert Lemaitre and team have successfully reared the hybrid of Samia ricini male x Samia kohlli female, and they have found the hybrids to be fertile. First and second generation larvae are depicted as well as cocoons, eggs and the very beautiful adult moths.
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Reinhard Foerster of Misiones, Argentina, has sent what I believe are images of Leucanella memusae gardineri female and larva, and Hyperchiria incisa incisa adult and larva. Neither of these moths is reported by Lemaire (Hemileucinae 2002) for Argentina, but they are reported from southeastern Brazil. Please have a look if you are experienced with this area and those genera. Images have been posted to the respective pages files.
Carlos Mielke has indicated the determinations are correct.
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Kelly Price continues to send a number of images of spread specimens for id work. He has sent images from Arani, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Cartago, Costa Rica; Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.
I believe I have correctly identified Dirphia avia, Leucanella contempta, Schausiella carabaya from Bolivia; Rothschildia lebeau inca, Citheronioides collaris, Eacles imperialis decoris, Othorene verana from Costa Rica; and males of Samia tetrica, Antheraea platessa, Antheraea larissa (ridlyi), Antheraea lampei from Malaysia.
I think he has also sent females of Cricula elaezia and Antheraea gschwandneri, also from Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. I seek help with ids on these. They have been posted to respective files.
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Charles Bordelon has sent very nice images of spread specimens: Caligula zuleika male, northeastern India; Copaxa lavendera male and female, Guatemala; Eudaemonia trogophylla male, Cameroon; Nudaurelia dione male, Ivory Coast; Ormiscodes amphinome male and female, Chile; and of what I believe are Dirphia fraterna females, Brazil and Ecuador.
He has also sent images of Brahmaea certhia from South Korea and Brahmaea wallichii from northeastern India.
Charles has also sent a number of images of Hemileuca, Syssphinx and Coloradia species. Check out the Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson Collection.
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I have recently updated the Leroy Simon Collection with images of live Antheraea polyphemus oculea, Arsenura batesii, Arsenura rebeli, Automerina auletes, Automeris denticulata, Automeris banus.
There are many more images on the most recent DVD so I will work on them over the coming weeks.
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Alan Lee has sent me a writeup on some interesting experiences with "frozen" Antheraea polyphemus larvae. Check out the article in the Members' Articles Section.
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Eugene Morton has sent some observation notes on multiple pairings of Callosamia promethea. I haveposted to Members' Articles Section.
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Sphingidae Express
I have now received my copy of Hawkmoths of North America by James A. Tuttle. It is an excellent book and should long be the standard for U.S. and Canadian species.
Dr. Ronald D. Cave, in conjunction with Ana Clariza Samayoa, will shortly be publishing a paper on the Sphingidae of Honduras. I will use the paper to update my Honduras checklist and will also create Department checklists.
Robert Lehman indicates he will also shortly be sending Saturniidae and Sphingidae images and data for Honduras.
Nigel Venters has sent images of Hyles euphorbiarum pupae from Argentina.
Nigel has also sent a series of images and a writeup explaining how he force feeds Sphingidae and butterflies to get maximum egg production. It can be accessed through the Hyles euphorbiarum page.
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Arctiidae Art
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Catocala Capers
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Caterpillars Too!, a North American butterfly website:
John H. Campbell has sent me sightings from Georgia. I have updated the distribution maps for that state.
Nigel Venters has sent a series of images and a writeup explaining how he force feeds Sphingidae and butterflies to get maximum egg production. It can be accessed through the Hyles euphorbiarum page on the Sphingidae site and will also be posted to the Caterpillars Too! website.
Today, February 12, I will be attending a meeting at University of P.E.I. to discuss ranking the butterflies of P.E.I. as part of the General Status of Species program in Canada www.wildspecies.ca, which should be completed soon.
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A new Coleoptera (Beetles) page is being created.
This page will be resricted to those members of WLSS who have an interest in Coleoptera (Beetles) and who are willing to have their email addresses posted there for correspondence, limited to the Coleoptera family.
This list will not be available through any search engines and will not be linked by me from any of my websites. Instead, those members who register (no charge) will be directed to an unlisted URL.
Members whose names appear on this list have agreed to use the contact information solely for the purpose of furthering their interests in Coleoptera.
Members have also agreed that they will neither post this list/page nor divulge its contents nor share its contents with others.
To have your name and email contact information posted on the Coleoptera page, send email to Bill Oehlke, indicating you agree to terms above.
N.B. This is note a Coleoptera site, just a listing of contact info for WLSS members with an interest in Coleoptera.
There are also quite a few members interested in Sphingidae, so I will post special Sphingidae page under same conditions. I am also considering an African Sphingidae section if there is sufficient interest and those who can supply high quality images.
A Catocala page will also be posted.
If you wish to have your name, location, interests and email posted on the Coleoptera, Sphingidae or Catocala contacts page, please let me know.
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