Antheraea polyphemus variation, courtesy of Bill Garthe,
with dark "line" achieved through selective breeding.
Hi All,
Happy Easter to all. Happy Mother's Day.
There are still more overwintering Antheraea polyphemus cocoons available from Colorado, and I have just marketed thirty-four spring brood luna cocoons from Alabama (were shipped yeasterday and will be shipped today (May 14). We should have more a few more luna cocoons in just a few days (May 15-17) and then more luna cocoons from antoher batch of eggs in a week or two. The overwintering polyphemus have been kept in cold storage and are still in cold storage. They will emerge about four weeks 9room temperature) after coming out of cold storage.
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Bill Garthe recently sent me the folowing image featuring the dark polyphemus he has been rearing.
Antheraea polyphemus variation, courtesy of Bill Garthe,
with dark "line" achieved through selective breeding.
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.
Wild polyphemus are flying in Comal County, Texas, March 23, 2019: we are shipping polyphemus eggs from Alabama April 12; again on April 20
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
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John Campbell writes, "Reading your Comments in the recent (April) Mothly news letter – about Cecropia cocoons being found on low-growing shrubbery/plants. I recall finding many Cecropia cocoons in two different locations – when I was a child (age 10 or 12, in Monmouth and later in Springfield, Illinois) All of those cocoons were spun up in weedy locations, at about two to four feet from the ground. I don’t know what the food plants might have been but I do remember that there were small box-elders in both those areas. Also, the location in Springfield, an abandoned railway line, was where I found the only example of a Cecropia ‘mega’-cocoon (unfortunately already eclosed) that I’ve ever seen in the wild. The outer part of that cocoon was at least three to four inches in diameter. Fondly remembered memories of a time of many Discoveries!"
It has been cool here on PEI, but all the snow seems to have melted and I may actually plant some peas and spinach on the weekend. I have done some half hearted search for cecropia cocons here on PEI to no avail this spring, but if the sun is out May 9-10 I will take a nice drive to several spots where ai have found them before.
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Francierlem Oliveira has recently sent images of Automeris granulosa from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This, to my knowledge, is a first for RGdN. Francierlem has also sent images of egg, larvae, pupa and live males and female of what are either Eacles imperialis cacicus or Eacles imperialis magnifica; one of the males is a very good match for subspecies cacicus, but the other male from the same location has forewings more roounded than either cacicus or magnifica, makes you wonder if there is really any difference between the two subspecies other than "tendancies".
Francierlem has also sent images of live male and female of what are either Rothschildia aurota aurota or Rothschildia speculifer rubra.
Francierlem has also sent images of a live male of what is either Scolesa nebulosa, Scolesa hypoxantha, or an undescribed Scolesa species. To my knowledge this is a first confirmation of a Scolesa species in Rio Grande do Norte. I favour nebulosa.
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Steve Ife has sent images of final instar, cocoon and pupae of what we believe is Periphoba attali from Guoyas, Ecuador. Hopefully we will see moths soon to now for sure whether they are nigra or attali.
Steve has also recently sent images of third and fourth instar Antheraea godmani.
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Derek Bridgehouse has sent images of a number of Hyalophora specimens from Mexico and also from Saskatchewan. I hope to soon create a comparison chart. It is interesting to note, however, that I saw some of the features of Hyalophora euryalus cedrosensis in one of the images from British Columbia on the BAMONA website.
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For the first time on WLSS a live female Ptiloscola cinerea female is depicted. I am pretty sure the translucent green eggs directly below the female are also cinerea.
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Sphingidae Express
Cesar Ivan Caballero de la Cruz has sent some beautiful images of Callionima inuus from Motupe, Lambayeque, Peru.
I am posting a number of images of Sphingidae from Cartago, Costa Rica, courtesy of Gernot Kunz. Gernot has also sent a number of very nice images of Saturniidae from Cartago, Costa Rica.
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Catocala Capers
Dave Barker has sent an image of a live Catocala frederici. This may be the first time a live specimen is depicted on the internet.
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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.