Hi All,
Happy St. Patrick's Day; hope you all have a happy Easter season!
It's still quite cold here with much snow on the ground, but the days are getting longer and brighter, and spring is almost in the air. It will soon be time to take my cocoons out of cold storage in anticipation of late spring/early summer eclosions.
The great metamorphosis, I am sure, is a wonderment to all of us.
I have added my "Antheraea polyphemus" poem to the Bill's Articles section.
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All livestock, except for some nice Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly pupae, is now sold out. The tigers (Pennsylvania stock) are available from my father in New Jersey at $4.00/pupa, minimum order five pieces, one shipping and handling fee of $7.00 U.S.
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Already quite a few orders for rearing sleeves, prepaid orders for eggs (July 1, 2005 post date), and even some orders for fall 2005 cocoons (October 1,2005 post date) have arrived. Now is the time to place orders, especially for eggs.
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I am looking to purchase an even mix of males and females for about thirty cocoons of Actias luna and thirty cocoons of Automeris io. Please contact me if you can help.
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I've recently started checklists for the provinces of China. Preliminary work is accessed through Far East file by clicking on China. Help in this area would be greatly appreciated.
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Some news came in just as I was sending out the last copies of the February Mothly Newsletter.
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Dear Bill:
Please could you post this message on the Saturniids website for March.
Calling All Saturniid Farmers! Houston We Have a Problem!
Texas Cecropias are a dwindling resource with island populations being found as far West as San Antonio and Austin. Texas cecropia are large and tend to have a very dark ground color. They start flying as early as late February and feed on multiple foodplants including willow, mexican plum and native hickory.
Cecropia moths were common in and around Houston as recently as 10 years ago, but have all but disappeared. Otherwise, polyphemus, io and luna moth populations are quite stable in and around Houston, although all three of these species are multi-brooded.
We are attempting to reintroduce a self-sustaining population of cecropia moths to selected habitats in and around Houston. This is an ambitious long-term project and is definitely a labor of love. Our hope is that, through this project, the general public will become more aware of the fragility and importance of our local environment.
Last year, a small dedicated team of volunteers managed to raise 200+ cocoons from pure Texas stock Cecropia and we will use these individuals this year as founders to attract wild males from various Texas locations to achieve matings to maximize the genetic variation within our pool. Our goal is to generate 5000+ ova during March.
The first cocoons have started hatching as of February 14th. We would like to offer Texas cecropia ova free to any enthusiast, particularly those who have had experience raising this species. We request that if you receive ova, that you return 50% of any cocoons that you may generate. These would then be used for next year's stock.
Our goal this year is to generate 500+ healthy cocoons. We are also offering Project Cecropia t-shirts (please inquire) at $12 each, proceeds of which will be put towards our efforts. Please contact Andrew Spicer at the following e-mail address: spicer_andrew@yahoo.com or call Andrew at 281-412-7427.
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Bernhard Wenczel has just sent me a very nice picture of fourth instar Othorene hodeva larvae feeding on Quercus turneri X pseudoturneri. Image posted to species file.
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Jose Marti Carpentier has sent me images of spread Attacus atlas formosana and Attacus atlas silhetica, male and female. Richard Peigler treats these as clinal forms rather than as distinct subspecies.
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David Bygott has sent me a very nice picture of an Anisota oslari larva from Arizona. Also Rothschildia cincta and syssphinx hubbardi.
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My friend and collecting partner, Derek Bridgehouse of Nova Scotia, has just sent me images of hybrid Callosamia angulifera (m) Boone Co., West Virginia X Hyalophora cecropia (f) Lucas Co., Ohio, EP: 15.vi.1980 and Callosamia angulifera (m) Boone Co., WV X H. c. gloveri (m) Bernalillo Co., NM X H. c. columbia (f) Montcalm Co., MI EP:16.vi.1987 from his collection. The images are posted in the Hybrid section.
Derek writes, "PS If you can help me find some one in the US who might have a couple of cecropia cocoons for sale who would post for me within the US please keep me in mind ? or could you put my request on your Wanted list for me ? you can give my e-mail I will give them particulars."
Derek W.Bridgehouse at d.bridgehouse@ns.sympatico.ca
We plan on going to Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, again in late June. The wild lunas there tend to be quite large.
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New Member Rainer Plontke from Germany has sent me images of a very interesting hybrid, Actias sinensis x Actias dubernardi as well as Antheraea roylei x Antheraea yamamai. Images up in the hybrid section.
Rainer often works with Franz Renner, and both gentlemen have a keen interest in hybrids. Contact info up in hybrid section.
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I also have some new images of African Saturniidae from Tanzania (David Bygott) and Zaire (Heinz Rothacher). Philippe Darge has helped with images from Tanzania, but I would like some second opinions and I also need help with the ones from Zaire. They are temporarily posted at http://www.insectcompany.com/silkmoth/dvdbgt.htm
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Tom Tewsksbury reports that Calosaturnia walterorum larvae that he reared on sweetgum (new host plant) last summer have produced healthy adults.
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From Hubert Mayer I have uploaded Loxolomia serpentina male and Paradaemonia nycteris female.
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Robert Muller has expressed some concerns about a postentially very harmful introduced vespid wasp. I have posted some pictures and information in an article in the Bill's Articles section.
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Franz Ziereis has begun to send me images: Automeris banus banus larva, Pseudodirphia emedide moth*, Syssphinx smithi pair and larva*, Procitheronia fenestrata moth and larva*, Ptiloscola lilacina affinis pair* and larva*, Actias isis pair,Bunaea alcinoe larva, Aurivillius aratus pair and larva*, Nudaurelia anna larva*,
A "*" denotes species not previously depicted on WLSS.
In many cases Franz is supplying new foodplants.
More of Franz's images to follow.
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Howard Grisham has a Saturniidae collection that he would like to sell or offer in trade for ...
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The Robert Thompson Gallery of Limited Edition Fine Art Exhibition Prints is now also linked from the main page of the WLSS. Initial response has been quite high and as of February 22, Robert is down to a single print of Actias dubernardi. There is probably still time to get the limited edition prints of the other species.
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Alan Marson has just sent me a very nice picture of a female Loepa kuangtungensis. The image is posted in the individual species file.
Also read Alan's Mouse Tale in the Members' Articles section. Additional images of kuangtongensis have also come in and are posted in photography section.
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John Marchant has just sent me images of what we believe is a Pseudantheraea imperator pair, an Arsenura xanthopus pair, a Nudaurelia macrothyris pair and a Lobobunaea phaedusa christyi.
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See Thibaud Decaens Collection and Photography section for some great new images from Thibaud.
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Darrell Gulin has also just sent some great images of Samia cynthia and Hyalophora cecropia, posted in Photography section.
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Sphingidae Express
Jean Haxaire has advised me of some corrections for the Sphingidae site. The Steve Graser image I had mistakenly identified as Manduca lefeburii is Manduca prestoni. I have moved the image to the M. prestoni file.
Jean writes, "The Manduca kuschei is definitely not that sp; it seems to be a normal M. lanuginosa. Your Manduca incisa (from John de Vries) is a typical lefeburii. I have strong doubt on your Manduca clarki from Mr Izersky. To me this is lucetius."
Jean also indicates he will soon be sendng me images of all the missing Manduca, Cocytius and Euryglottis.
Jean also writes, "The Adhemarius mexicanus is not that species, but a typical dariensis. In Mexico, both species fly, dariensis in Chiapas, and mexicanus from Oaxaca to Jalisco.
"I will send to you a real mexicanus picture tonight. After that, your Adhemarius dentoni from Ecuador belong to another species. My Adhemarius Revision is under press, so for the moment call it gannascus, but it is another species. The second dentoni from Peru, Junin is good. That's a real dentoni, no problem. You can see the différence in the color of the wings (silver white and grey) and the shape."
Many thanks to Jean for his corrections. I will make them on the site as soon as the new images arrive.
February 16, I have added the following images (* = not previously depicted) from Jean Haxaire:
Adhemarius dentoni, Adhemarius gannascus jamaicensis*, Adhemarius mexicanus,
Cocytius mortuorum*, Eumorpha drucei*, Eumorpha strenua*, Euryglottis
albostigmata albostigmata*, Euryglottis davidianus*, Euryglottis
oliver*, Macroglossum pyrrhosticta*, Manduca brunalba*, Manduca
caribbeus*, Manduca diffissa zischkai*, Manduca huascara*,
Manduca johanni, Manduca jordani*, Protambulyx astygonus*,
Protaleuron herbini*, Protaleuron rhodogaster*, Sphinx porioni*,
Sphinx tricolor*, Callionima acuta*, Kloneus babayaga,
Enyo latipennis*, Enyo bathus*, Enyo bathus otiosus*, Pachygonidia
odile*, Stolidoptera cadioui*,
The two Protaleuron species are extremely rare in collections. Jean may be the only person who has both species.
He writes, "Protaleuron herbini was described by me in March 2001 (Lambillionea, CL, 139-143) Type locality is Ecuador. 4 specimens are known, two are in my collection.
"Protaleuron rhodogaster is known from Ecuador (no more indication, type locality) to Bolivia (see Haxaire and Herbin, 2002).3 specimens are known in the world."
Tony and Pat James from Cornwall, UK, regularly travel to Jamaica and Carribean Islands. They have begun sending me images, among them a species not previously depicted, Adhemarius gannascus jamaicensis.
Eurides Furtado has sent beautiful images of live Xylophanes chiron nechus moth, larva and pupa posted to indivdiual species file.
From the Hubert Mayer collection, I have added Cocytius antaeus and Neococytius cluentius.
Martin Jagelka has sent me images of male, female and larva of Pachysphinx occidentalis, now posted.
David Bygott images of larvae of Eumorpha achemon, Manduca rustica and Hyles lineata from Arizona have also been posted.
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At the request of some members I am posting a "BAD TRADERS" report. It can be accessed from the main page of the WLSS.
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Some members who are AOL users have reported trouble accessing the site in February. I believe this is due to new AOL software upgrades and will probably rectify itself in a while.
If you are having difficulty, let me know. I have created a temporary solution for AOL users at http://www.insectcompany.com/silkmoth/rwkurthi.htm
Since this opening home or main page has a new address, the regular links won't take you back to the main index, but you can always use your browser "Back" button to navigate the site.
Since posting the above message, I believe AOL has corrected the situation.
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Please check the Members' Wish list periodically and help when you can.
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Catocala Capers
Paul Johnson has sent me some Catocala images from San Benito, California. I am still working on ids.
Martin Jagelka has sent me beautiful images of live aholibah, briseis, concumbens, parta and unijuga.
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I have been steadily pecking away at checklists for states of Mexico, but it will probably be several months before I have all the Hemileucinae completed.
If you wish to help or want to watch development, the states' checklists can be accessed from the Mexico file.
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