Mothly Newsletter:

May 16, 2022 - August 15, 2022

Hi All,

Sorry for the long delay in posting. Old age is creeping up on me. I just turned seventy-four and have lots of large sleeves put out on five different properties. I do not have as much energy as i used to have and all the sleeving takes a toll on my reserves as do the late nights and early mornings checking on female Saturniidae that I set out in my mating cages.

I did not have a good result with my lunas this year, and only had one pairing that yielded eggs, and that occured much later (early July) than I expected or had hoped. I was able to purchase some additional luna eggs from another supplier, but do not anticipate a large luna harvest this year.

Polyphemus were not a problem as I obtained four pairings and Derek Bridgehouse sent me some additional eggs from females taken at lights in Nova Scotia. Two of my pairings were again later than I had hoped or expected.

Rosy maples females were scarce this year at lights although there were lots of males. The females that were collected had already deposited most of their eggs.

I had overwintered three Hyalophora columbia cocoons. The first female paired nicecly around 5:30 am as I got up early (4:30 am) and watched a wild male fly in. I still like to do that!

After a few more early morning checks on luna cages, I decided not to get up until 5:30 am when I next had another columbia female. When I checked, she was gone, apparently in some bird's belly as th cage lid was secure and undisturbed. The third female got stuck in the escape valve of her cocoon. Thus I only obtained one pairing, but was able to procure some additional eggs from Nova Scotia and Manitoba.

Hyalophora cecropia did okay with two or three pairings and two or three wild male taken at my rooftop light, but again in most cases later in the season than i would have liked.

I have recently been checking sleeves for developing larvae and am quite concerned that the extreme temperatures we have been experiencing might take a great toll or have already taken a toll on rearing results. I have been recently selecting hosts that are in at least partial shade to try to compensate for heat wave effects inside the sleeves. Hopefully things will be better in a couple of weeks and I will still get a reasonable harvest.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In June my wife of fifty-one years was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has recently had a port inserted and will begin weekly chemo treatments next week. I will be supporting her as much as I possibly can with assistance from my daughters. Fortunately in most cases when doing sleeving I only inserted as many hatchlings as I felt the tree could handle to cocoon stage. If that works, out there will be less time in the woods and fields just emptying frass and not moving larvae, so that I can help Bev with more important things.

Good idea to get mammograms annually if you are female over fifty! If you've missed opportunities due to Covid damands on doctors/nurses and hospitals/clinics, try hard to schedule an appointment.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I hope to have a fall pricelist osted in late September of early October.

++++++++++++++++++

I have been working on the new Dirphiopsis species whose names were put forward in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and hope to get the new species posted by the weekend. Now I am going to one of the rearing sites to see how things are progressing.

May-August Challenge

I once asked Kirby Wolfe which species was his favourite of all the Saturniidae. He replied, "The one I am seeing for the first time."

I would not say the specimens below are my favourites from the first time I saw them, but they certainly are much more striking live, as compared to worn specimens often on display.

I believe the two images below are of the same species. These are the only live images I have of this species. I have not yet posted them to the species file, but they will be welcome additions.

???????????, Brilhante, Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
June 3, 2021, courtesy of Maria Isabel Weyermanns.

??????????? male, Massaranduba, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
July 23, 2022, courtesy of Joao Amarildo Ranguetti.

++++++++++++++++++

Sphingidae Express

Derek Bridgehouse has alerted me that specimens from Colorado, Utah and Idaho previously described as Sphinx gordius are now determined to be sufficiently different to have full species status as Sphinx oslari. I am in process of creating oslari page and in doing updates to state listings for Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

UI also recently received an image of Darapsa versicolor, courtesy of Paul Shaw, from West Virginia, and have created pictoral checklist for Fayette County that also covers Boone, Clay, Greenbrier, Kawanha, Raleigh and Sussex counties.

+++++++++++++++++++

Catocala Capers

I am starting to see Catocala sightings on several of the Facebook moth pages and other moth websites.

Roger Bovaere is a Catocala collector from France. He is looking to purchase or trade for specimens of the following species:
He is especially interested in herodias - carissima - marmorata - sappho & Paleogama phalanga, irene and ophelia.

He is also interested in more westerly species: Catocala babayaga, Catocala texanae, Catocala dulciola, Catocala electilis, Catocala praeclara, Catocala andromache, Catocala andromedae, Catocala francisca, Catocala stretchii, Catocala verecunda.

Please contact Roger at r.bolivar@wanadoo.fr if you can help him aling with his collection.

+++++++++++++++++++

Support this website and visit other insect sites by clicking flashing butterfly links to left or right.

Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May-August Challenge

Hidripa perdix, Brilhante, Itajai, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
June 3, 2021, courtesy of Maria Isabel Weyermanns.

Hidripa perdix male, Massaranduba, Santa Catarina, Brazil,
July 23, 2022, courtesy of Joao Amarildo Ranguetti.