Hi All,
This newsletter covers updates from June 17, to July 16, 2008.
Sorry for the delay in posting of this newsletter. Late June to early July has been very hectic with moths eclosing, pairings, setting out eggs and larvae, etc.
June 27-29 I was in Malay Falls, Nova Scotia, with Derek Bridgehouse. We had only a few very light, short sprinkles despite a forecast that called for showers. Collecting at lights in two different locations was spectacular. Ten large female lunas were taken for egg laying over the two nights. Over forty male lunas came to the lights.
Large numbers of male cecropia came to light the first night, probably lured in by a calling female. We also used her as a lure to call in H. columbia males the following morning, and Derek had some success, gathering 4-6 male columbia in good shape. Male and female polyphemus also appeared at lights in good numbers. Rosy maples were everywhere.
A female euryalus was used to lure columbia males the second morning, and a few appeared at dawn. A female cecropia was also taken the second night.
Derek took several Sphingidae specimens, including a first time for him Sphinx drupiferarum. We also saw D. choerilus, S.kalmiae, S. poecila, P. modesta, S. cerisyi, P. myops, P. excaecata, C. undulosa. I think there was also a male L. bombycoides.
Derek is also very interested in odonates and is quite adept at catching them on the wing.
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Freshly spun (July 8+) luna cocoons from Alabama are available now and probably for the next week or so at $3.85/cocoon plus $8.00 shipping and handling.
Polyphemus eggs currently available (July 8-13), Promethea eggs expected shortly, Luna eggs expected shortly (maybe in about two weeks (July 24?? in Alabama).
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If you are interested in purchasing eggs or taking advantage of special offers (seldom offered species, papered specimens, etc.) as they arise, please consult the "Mothly Newsletters" which are usually updated at least once a week and are archived on site. There is a special link to Eggs 2008 so you can see what is anticipated with prices. Some eggs will probably be ready for shipping from Alabama starting the latter half of March. Already (March 14) some eggs have been shipped. Poly and cecropia eggs are also still being shipped May 9 form Alabama.
This is the most extensive list of North American Saturniidae that I have ever offered.
I have added a number of Sphingidae species to the eggs for sale list.
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Twenty-four A. polyphemus eggs, deposited on night of June 19, were put in cold storage on morning of June 20. They were removed from cold storage on June 25. Larvae began hatching on July 6 with additional hatchings on July 7 and 8. As of July 8, eighteen larvae have hatched. Six more hatched on July 9. I have sleeved them, six larvae to a 67" sleeve on oak behind Peardon's house and have marked the branches with grey duct tape. It will be interesting to see if these larvae will make it all the way to cocoon stage.
I have no idea why there should be such a diversity of hatch dates from eggs deposited all on same date and stored same way at same time. All were placed in the same aquarium tubing in the same plastic tub.
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Alan Marson has just sent me a series of beautiful images of Eacles penelope larvae, all instars and now pupa, reared on sweetgum. Images are linked from the penelope page and also form the Larva Photos page.
Alan has also sent Rhodinia newara and they are treated same as above.
Alan has also sent images of Lemaireia luteopeplus (probably subspecies aureopeplus *******************************
I have updated Leroy Simon collection with images of Cricula jordani, Dirphia panamensis fassli, Dirphia thliptophana, Lonomia species and Brahmaeidae: Brahmaea certhia, B. christophi and B. hearseyi.
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I am going to begin taking cocoons out of cold storage a few days earlier this year. We had a beautiful sunny day today (May 3) with temperatures around 60 F, and the long range forecast calls for a very nice coming week, although it still get down to near freezing at night. We can have frosts up until June 10.
I keep cocoons indoors in emerging cages, and I tend to keep the house cool. Most species took slightly over a month to develop last spring, so I am going to try for some early June eclosions by taking a couple of polyphemus, luna and cecropia out of cold storage on Monday, May 5. Peak flight times here for the four large Saturniidae species tend to be mid June.
I do like to scatter the eclosions and pairings throughout June to handle the late egg orders and also to spread out the rearing season so everything doesn't have to go out at the same time or be harvested at same time. Our weather is also quite unpredictable, and we can have a run of very cold and/or wet weather just about any time in June.
May 5: I took fourteen A. polyphemus (A.L.) cocoons out of cold
storage.
Male poly eclosed June 8; sporadic eclosions throughout summer
as late as July 17; some have still not emerged, but seem viable as of July 19.
May 7: I took two poly, two luna, three columbia and two cecropia
out of storage as well as all S.p.
Female polyphemus eclosed June 9 and paired. Second female eclosed
June 13 and paired, both with wild males which are abundant at light when
there are calling females present, June 9-date (June 17).
Lunas emerged June 14.
Two male S.p. eclosed June 7
Steady stream of S. P. eclosions up to June 16 and I have had seven
pairings. On June 16-17 several wild male polyphemus were flying
about the outdoor emergence cage around midnight. I did not see any
calling female polyphemus present.
I put one wild male in with S.p. and he mated readily with her.
Eggs probably will not develop.
One columbia female emerged June 15; two females emerged June 16; all
three paired with wild males June 17 between 4:45 am and 5:15 am
May 9: I took six cecropia, three poly, three luna, three columbia,
five H.e. and six large C.p. out of storage.
Two male H.e. eclosed June 7; female eclosed June 12
but males were either two far spent or siblings that showed no interest.
Three luna eclosed June 15, first pairing June 16.
Polyphemus female eclosed indoors June 16-17.
May 11: I took six cecropia, two poly, six luna, three columbia out
of cold storage.
May 13: I took one cecropia, one columbia and five luna out of cold storage.
May 16: I took two luna, one columbia, one cecropia and one polyphemus out of cold storage.
May 20: I took all large Ceratocampinae out of cold storage. E. i. p. began emerging June 27.
June 1: I will begin taking small Sphingidae out of cold storage and
will stagger them also.
First male S. cerisyi eclosed June 14, more June 15; females eclosed
June 15 and wild males were introduced to cage. Three pairings
June 16-17.
July 5: I will take Papilios out of cold storage. It has been quite cool here so I have delayed these.
Large luna, polyphemus and cecropia (one humongous female and a couple large ones) emerged in early July. Polyphemus are stil flying here as of July 4, but I think the cecropia and luna flight may be over.
I need to take the very heaviest of my breeding stock out at least a week earlier than indicated above.
July 4: I took two female rubicunda and a female virginiensis at my light in Montague.
Female S. jamaicensis emerged July 18 and paired with males taken at lights, before midnight. I am surprised that the slightly larger S. cerisyi moths and pupae eclosed before the jamiacensis despite being treated the same way.
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Horst Kach has sent me a series of images from Ecuador. He has been collecting in Pastaza Province as well as elsewhere and provides some new species, at least for Pastaza.
Horst also provides images of (not previously depicted on WLSS) and foodplants for Bathyphlebia eminens, (Myrica pubescens), Cosanga, Napo; Arsenura batesii arcaei, (Ceiba), Tatala, Los Bancos, Pichincha; Copaxa simson, (Ceiba), Los Bancos, Pichincha.
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Sighting Reports
I am very interested in receiving sighting reports (date and specific location, including county/parish and state and/or province) for Saturniidae and Sphingidae throughout the year. The reports will be posted in newsletters and will also be used to update the state files and flight times.
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Sphingidae Express
Nigel Venters has just sent me beautiful images of male and female Hyles euphorbiarum from Argentina.
Daniel Marlos from What's That Bug has begun to send me contact info for people sending him Sphingidae images, this has resulted in about ten new county pictoral dchecklists being created for different states.
I have also just begun to update the state by state Sphingidae checklists based on James P. Tuttle's The Hawk Moths of North America. He has species listed for many states that are not included on the USGS site.
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Sphingidae Updates
I recently received a request from an Orthodox priest in Russia. He is looking for a pair of Eumorpha typhon. If anyone from Arizona or New Mexico can help with this request, please let me know. *******************************
Arctiidae Art
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Catocala Capers
Dirk Bayer sent an image of a mature Catocala ilia larva from southern Alabama.
Dirk Bayer has been taking Catocala similis at lights, May 10-11, Bon Secour, Alabama.
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Caterpillars Too!, a North American butterfly website:
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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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I have begun to offer stock of "summer" non-diapausing lunas and polyphemus cocoons from Alabama. Alan Lee had his first pairing of overwintered stock in early March, 2008. Larvae from eggs from that first pairing began spinning cocoons in late April (April 27). Adult moths began emerging mid May.
It now should now be possible to purchase fresh non-diapausing cocoons of luna, polyphemus, angulifera, securifera, off and on throughout the summer season. Payment by Paypal is prefered for summer stock as it needs to be shipped as soon as larvae have pupated inside the cocoons. Adult moths can emerge in as few as 12 days from spin up when aided by summer heat. Always enquire first before sending a payment.
Non diapausing Papilio (Heraclides) cresphontes butterfly pupae (giant swallowtail) were also successfully shipped from Dirk Bayer's rearings in Alabama. Quite a few people have put in requests for these, and I will post notices in newsletter when the next batch is anticipated and also send ouit notices to those on the waiting list. There is already a waiting list of six people.
Non-diapausing pupae of the black swallowatail and the spicebush swallowtail are also now being offered.
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New member Rakha Singh of the United Kingdom maintains a website at www.butterflyimages.co.uk.
Rakha offers enlarged prints of worldwide butterflies and will soon be expanding to include some Saturniidae.
Check out the website!
I have not seen the finished product, but it sounds interesting. The prints, which can come in a variety of sizes, would probably make spectacular displays.
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