Antheraea polyphemus female with extra ocelli,
May 29, 2019, courtesy of Steve Ife.
Hi All,
There are still more overwintering Antheraea polyphemus cocoons available from Colorado, and we should have a total of ten more first brood luna cocoons from Alabama, four of which will likely be shiped on Monday, May 20, leaving six still unspoken for. We are expecting more spring brood luna coocons in early June (yes, we have luna cocoons ready for shipping May 30). The overwintering polyphemus have been kept in cold storage and are still in cold storage. They will emerge about four weeks (room temperature) after coming out of cold storage. We will probably have them until about the end of May.
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Steve Ife sends this unusual female polyphemus. He hopes to see if he can establish a line with the accessory ocelli on each wing.
Antheraea polyphemus female with extra ocelli,
May 29, 2019, courtesy of Steve Ife.
Visit Antheraea polyphemus Selective Breeding by Bill Garthe.
Antheraea polyphemus "black" male, courtesy of Bill Garthe.
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Francierlem Oliveira has recently sent me images of Eubergia argyrea from Taboleira Grande, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This is first time this species has been confirmed in Rio Grande do Norte, and it is also first time I have seen live specimens of this species.
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Luis F. Alberti has recently sent images of live Cerodirphia species from Santa Rita do Sapucai, Minas Gerais, Brazil. I believe two of the apparently three different species from the same locale are C. vagans and C. opis, both first time reports from Minas Gerais. I am creating a pictoral thumbnail comparison table for Brazilian Cerodirphia to try to help me with the other identification. The third image, I think, is either a pale vagans or more likely C. parvagans, which would also be a first time report from Minas Gerais.
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I have also received images of what I believe are live Dirphia muscosa, but the pm line is much closer than would be expected for muscosa. They might be something undescribed. It may be another few days before I get all the new images posted.
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Bart Coppens has recently sent images of first and second instar Antheraea godmani larva, and bart has also sent images of a stunning female Leucanella contempta windi from Mexico. It may be everal days before I get all the new images posted and files updated. Right now I have to update my egg order files and get some orders ready for shipping tomorrow morning, May 17.
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Tracey Woolley has recently sent me images of some live Saturniidae and Sphingidae encountered during her travels to Amazonas, Para and Amapa, Brazil. I believe she has sent me two images of a live male Rothschildia arethusa rhodina frmo Macapa, Amapa, Brazil. This would makr the first time a male of this species has been depicted on WLSS.
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We began offering eggs in March from the southern states, and should be able to offer most of the regular Saturniidae species thoughout the spring and summer at various times. I am looking for egg suppliers of Arizona and Texas and California species that are not on my usual list which is expected to include the following species: Actias luna; Antheraea polyphemus; Automeris io; Callosamia angulifera; Callosamia promethea; Citheronia regalis; Dryocampa rubicunda; Eacles imperialis; Hyalophora cecropia; Hyalophora columbia; Samia cynthia.
If you would like to become an egg shipper to US destinations, let me know and I will send you a copy of the working arrangements I have with other suppliers so you can decide whether you want to be involved.
See the April 2019 newsletter for a list of times when eggs of various species became available in 2018. A similar pattern will likely occur this year.
Here is the 2019 pricelist for eggs expected spring, summer, early fall of 2019. Do not send a payment until I have confirmed your order or have directed you to send the payment. Please be sure to provide the information requested below when sending an egg enquiry/request:
1) Complete name and shipping address
2) Species and quantities of each species that you desire
3) dates when you woud or would not be able to receive eggs
4) your intended method of payment: Personal check, cashier's check, international money order, Paypal. With paypal there will be an additional 4.5% fee
as that is how much Paypal deducts from the money that I receive. The egg prices below already include the shipping fee, but they do not include the Paypal fee.
Price list for USA customers, 2019. All prices quoted are in US dollars and already include the shipping fee, but do not include the Paypal fee of 4.5%:
Actias luna 8.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $14.00; 24 at $19.50; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Antheraea polyphemus 8.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $14.00; 24 at $19.50; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Automeris io $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Callosamia angulifera $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Callosamia securifera $9.50 + 8.00 for 12 = $17.50; 24 at 25.50; 34.50; $8.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen; very questionable
Callosamia promethea 8.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $14.00; 24 at $19.50; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Citheronia regalis $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Dryocampa rubicunda $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen; very questionable
Eacles imperialis $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Eupackardia calleta $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Hyalophora cecropia $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
Hyalophora columbia columbia $8.50 + 6.00 for 12 = $14.50; 24 at 20.50; 26.50; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen; questionable
Samia cynthia 7.50 + 5.50 = for 12 at $13.00; 24 at $19.00; 36 at $25.00; $5.00 for each additional dozen over 3 dozen
I expect shipping dates for 2019 to be similar to what they were for 2018, but no guarantees. See the April newsletter.
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Here is what is happening in US in spring-summer 2019:
March 17: Actias luna pairings of reared females with wild fly-in males; Florida and Alabama; some eggs are being shipped March 18-19 to
southern states.
Luna pairing in Alabama March 29, eggs being shipped April 1, another pairing April 11, another pairing April 14,
a pairing May 26 from reared stock with wild male; a pairing May 29 from reared stock with fly-in male. Luna pairings in Alabama and Ohio June 3-5.
Wild polyphemus are flying in Comal County, Texas, March 23, 2019: we are shipping polyphemus eggs from Alabama April 12; again on April 20 again around May 10; from North Carolina May 21
A wild female Hyalophora columbia gloveri is laying eggs in Arizona, April 1-2
Citheronia regalis eggs are being shipped from Alabama, April 16-17
Hyalophora cecropia eggs are being shipped from North Carolina starting May 17-20.
Automeris io eggs are being shipped from Alabama starting May 26.
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I overwinter my breeding stock in sandwich sized plastic tubs with no airholes and the lids snapped on tight. I am taking cocoons out of refrigerated storage as per the following schedule.
May 15: one luna; one polyphemus
May 17: one luna; one polyphemus; one cecropia; one columbia
May 19: one luna; one polyphemus: two cecropia; one columbia; plus some smaller male columbia
May 21: three luna; one polyphemus; two cecropia; one columbia; plus 4 smaller NS columbia.
May 22: two luna; one polyphemus; three cecropia; one columbia; four Dryocampa rubicunda and one Sphingidae
May 24: remaining cocoons taken out of cold storage
I am placing the cocoons in a hardware cloth cage which is sitting on the floor in corner of the livingsroom. If warmer, more spring-like weather arrives, I will move cocoons outdoors, but keep them out of direct sunlight.
I anticipate taking cocoons out of refrigeration in greater numbers every other day so that I will have grestest number of eclosions in sync with peak natural flights. I will move some Dryocampa rubicunda and one Smerinthus pupae out of cold storage on May 21. The naked pupae will go into a closed plastic container which I use for Ceratocampinae and Sphingidae pupae eclosions.
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Sphingidae Express
I am slowly plodding through the state by state checklists, creating pictoral checklists for each county.
Francierlem Oliveira recently sent me several images of Neogene dynaeus from Taboleiro Grande, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It is the first time I have seen live images of adult moths. Images have been posted as well as images of Callionima grisescens elegans, both male and female, from the same area.
Michael D. Van Buskirk has sent me images of live male and female of Lintneria smithi. It is first time I have seen live adults of this species. Michael has also sent images of fourth and fifth instars. All have been posted to the smithi file or onlink fromthat file.
Michael has also just sent me another first, a stunning photo of a live Proserpinus vega. This is first time I have seen a live specimen of this species. Wow!
Luana Martins has just provided another first for Sphingidae of the Americas website, a live Unzela japix discrepans from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Tracey Woolley has recently sent me a very nice image of a live Eumorpha drucei from Manta, Manabi, Ecuador. This is first confirmed report I have from Manabi.
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Catocala Capers
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I received some images of a live Dirphia female from Risaralda, Colombia. I originally determined them to be Dirphia somniculosa somniculosa but I think they are more likely the recently described Dirphia somoccidentalis from northwestern Ecuador.
I also received an image of a live female Cerodirphia from Carabobo, Venezuela. I am pretty sure it is Cerodirphia araguaensis described from nearby Aragua.
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Andrew Aldercotte has recently sent me many images with data of Saturniidae from Panama. I am still working on them.
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I still have many images from Bernhard Wenczel to process. With all the new species described in the last few years it is very difficult to keep up with creeating new files and national checklists. Id work is becoming more and more difficult so I am also creatng comparison charts to help me narrow down choices when there are many possibilities.
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Stefan Naumann recently sent me a publication with pictures and information about some recently described Saturniidae species from southern and Central Vietnam. I have recently posted files for the following species in red, and hope to have the others completed and posted very shortly. I will be working on some of them today, January 16. I have now posted all the images to newly created files on an updated Vietnam page. The Coscinocera misoolensis can be accessed from the Papua new Guinea page.
Saturnia (Rinaca) simloides;
Saturnia (Rinaca) thibetomima;
Saturnia (Rinaca) ngoclinhensis;
Lemaireia mediovietnama;
Cricula sokola;
Cricula acuta;
Actias laovieta;
Antheraea (Antheraea) scida;
Antheraea (Antheraea) luteofrithi;
Rhodinia extremaustralis;
Coscinocera misoolensis.
I will be updating national checklists and genera checklists as well. While working on the Lemaireia mediovietnama, listed above, I found there were some additional Lemaireia names that had been put forward, and I also found some additional images. The entire Lemaireia genus list has been updated as have individual Lemaireia species files.