June 16 to July 15, 2010

Hi All,

Happy Fathers' Day to all fathers!

Hyalophora cecropia male, courtesy of Erik and Kathy Olson.

Erik and Kathy have sent additional images of Hyalophora cecropia and of Actias luna. The beautiful images are posted in the photography section and are also linked from the respective species files.

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Alan Marson has sent a series of beautiful images of Attacus lorquinii fifth instars feeding on privet. I could not resist posting this one, here.

Attacus lorquinii fifth instar, feeding on privet (Ligustrum), courtesy of Alan Marson.

Alan has also sent a series of photos of an hybrid of Brahmaea hearseyi and Brahmaea wallichii. Alan writes, "I have some pupae of Brahmaea hearseyi and Brahmaea wallichii. Both are emerging sporadically which is making getting pairings difficult. However, a few weeks ago I had a female B. hearseyi emerge and a male B. wallichii the following day. As I just had the two out at the time I put them together ... and they paired that night. As it turned out the eggs were fertile and the larvae easy to rear on Privet (Ligustrum). I have appended a series of photographs. One interesting point is that B. hearseyi lays huge eggs - and those of B. wallichii are much smaller. I wonder if the eggs would have hatched had it been a male B. hearseyi and female B. wallichii? The embryos might have tried to outgrow their resources/eggshell and died. I have read that that happens with hybrids of some British Sphingidae and the cross only works when the female is the species that lays the larger eggs. I suspect that the ranges of B. hearseyi and B. wallichii don't overlap in China where they both occur?"

Images will be posted to the hybrid section shortly. If anyone can help with the two questions Alan poses, please let me know and I wil post and forward the info.

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Derek Bridgehouse and I met up in Malay Falls, Nova Scotia, June 25-27 for some night time collecting. Derek was particularly interested in collecting Hyalophora cecropia and Hyalophora columbia specimens for his series displays and to fill a request for specimens for trading. The cecropia were very plentiful in response to Derek's caged female. She called in many male cecropia beginning at dusk on each evening, and several male columbia responded at dawn each day.

Female cecropia were not so numerous, but we did take two at lights. Lunas were not so plentiful as last year, but one of my caged females successfully paired and we did take a female at lights. Polyphemus males and females were abundant at lights. Rosy maples (males and females) were very common.

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Some summer Sphingidae are ready to pupate and will likely emerge in 2-4 weeks. These would be shipped from US only to US destinations: Amphion floridensis (beautiful day-flier), Pachysphinx modesta.

I saw my first butterfly of the new year on May 7 so I took out of cold storage one luna, one polyphemus and one cecropia cocoon as well as all of the ios on May 7.
On May 10 I took out one luna, one polyphemus and one cecropia.
On May 13 I took out two luna, two polyphemus, two columbia and one cecropia.
On May 16 I took out several luna, several polyphemus, two columbia, two cecropia and all earth pupators.

On May 18 I took out all remaining cocoons: five luna, three polyphemus and one columbia.

A small male luna emerged June 10, two choerilus emerged June 11. After some hot days in early May, it turned cooler from mid May til early June.

As of June 28 I still have one cecropia, one columbia, one polyphemus, one luna and three pini that have not emerged. Pini began emerging on June 24, and I had one pairing in plastic emergence tub.

I should have saved more cecropia and columbia cocoons for breeding stock, as the cocoons I saved as females yielded two males and two females of each species. Also the cool indoor temps and outdoor temps delayed eclosions considerably more than I expected.

Polyphemus are still flying on PEI as I had two pairings on June 27.

To my surprise many species were still flying on PEI after my return from Malay Falls. I had two female lunas pair with wild males on July 3, a female columbia paired with a wild male on July 1.

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If you wish to send an enquiry or egg order, please be sure to include your complete shipping address in the email text of your message. Please also give me approximate dates as to when you would be ready to begin receiving eggs.

Please note: When you receive eggs from one of my US shipping subcontractors, the return address on the package will be that of my boyhood home in New Jersey. That address is not the one to which you should send payment.

I use that address so that if something does not get delivered for some reason, the post office will not try to send it to Canada.

Please always send payments to the name and address below:

Bill Oehlke
155 Peardon Road
Montague, PE. C0A 1R0
Canada

A few people have sent payments to me by postal or bank money orders. Please note: I can accept payment via money orders, but they must be INTERNATIONAL money orders in US funds. US money orders are cashable only in US and its territories and Canada is neither. Therefore any payments by money orders, must be INTERNATIONAL money orders in US funds.

Quite a few people are using Paypal and that is fine, but please always get a quote first on all orders, as there is a usual paypal transaction fee of approximately 4% that I need to tack on to all orders that are to be paid via Paypal.

For all orders going to Canadian destinations, I have to include a 5% GST tax. There is no tax on the orders I have shipped within US, nor is there a tax for overseas orders.

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Antheraea polyphemus, third instar, courtesy of Clarence J. Jones.

Clarence J. Jones III writes, "Our polyphemus larva are doing well! Many are into their 3rd instar now. I know you want photos of moths in natural settings, but I couldn't believe how beautiful this larva looked while we were cleaning their cages."

I agree, it is a beautiful specimen. I do not think I will ever get tired of the site of a plump, mature luna, cecropia, columbia or polyphemus caterpillar even though I handle thousands every year. There are always some a bit more spectacular than the others.

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Ian Surman has sent very nice image of fourth instar Argema mittrei, and image has been posted to mittrei file.

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Visit Egg availability and prices 2010: Non diapausing livestock

Actias luna and Antheraea polyphemus are pairing now April 7-8 in Alabama. If you want eggs of this multi-brooded stock now, please specify species, quantity and be sure to send complete shipping address in your email.

Luna, polyphemus and cecropia eggs are still available for shipping as of May 17. More wil be available later from various locations.

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There are currently (June 28) twelve Heraclides cresphontes (giant swallowtail) pupae available, shipped on first-ordered-first-served basis to US destinations only. $5.50/pupae plus shipping and handling. Members pay after receipt.

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Robert Vuattoux has sent some images of new hybridizations:

larva from Saturnia (Saturnia) pavonia male x Saturnia (Eriogyna) pyretorum;
Robert also reports an unusual pairing of Opodiphthera eucalypti male X Saturnia pyri female, and he Larvas take Prunus amygdalus ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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 alsways 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.

Recent trip to Malay Falls provided females of Sphinx poecila and Lapara bombycoides. We also observed at lights several other species: Sphinx kalmiae, Pachysphinx modesta, Smerinthus cerisyi, Smerinthus jamaicensis, Darapsa choerilus, Sphinx jamaicensis. Derek Bridgehouse sends the following report from Nova Scotia, July 11, for Dollar Lake PP behind airport called Antrim Rd, I believe. It was a warm eve and heavy mist (almost rain but not quite) from 9:30 -11:30 picked up eight species of Sphinx. But still not getting the two species I'm looking for. So three different locales in different parts of the province and getting same stuff. But the thrill of getting the variety is still there."

P. modesta, Sphinx kalmiae, L. bombycoides, P. myops (2nd of summer), P. excaecatus (1st of the summer), S. jamaicensis (2nd of summer), had a S. cerisyi in Malay Falls which was 1st of season, C. undulosa and D. choerulus.

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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

Evan Rand has sent sighting reports for Arizona as well as images of spread Catocala verrilliana and Catocala violenta.

The Arizona distribution map and individual files have been updated.

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