October 15, 2007

Hi All,

There is an explanation for the sudden move to a new location at bottom of this page. Sorry for the inconvenience. If you have not sent me a seven letter password, please do so now so I can send access to username/password restricted location.

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I will be headed to the United States October 24 and will be away until evening of October 30.

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Livestock available in Canada is limited now to only Antheraea polyphemus. Everything else is sold out here.

For U.S. and overseas shipping, the following species are still available from U.S. shipping location at membership prices listed below:
Actias luna, Automeris io at $3.85 U.S./cocoon; Samia cynthia at $4.00; Antheraea polyphemus at $4.25; Hyalophora cecropia at $5.65; Hyalophora euryalus at $7.20; Citheronia regalis at $16.00/pair.

Butterflies:
Papilio glaucus (Eastern Tiger Swallowtail) and Papilio troilus (Spicebush Swallowtail) at $4.00.

Shipping and handling within U.S. is $8.00. It will be slightly higher for overseas shipping.

I am looking to purchase in bulk at wholesale prices healthy, good-sized, overwintering cocoons/pupae/chrysalids of any or all of the folllowing: Callosamia promethea, Callosamia angulifera, additional Hyalophora cecropia, Eacles imperialis, or any other North American Saturniidae or butterfly pupae. They can be shipped to a U.S. destination. Check the newsletter pages regularly as I will provide notices of any new items in the newsletters.

Those members from U.S. who earlier requested Hyalophora columbia will get them, but otherwise 180 H. columbia are already sold out. Always inquire first by email about availability as some other items are also in short supply.

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Horst Kach continues to send me images from Ecuador. Most recently he has sent spread specimens (recto and verso images) of Automeris niepelti male, Durango, Esmeraldas, Cicia pelota male, Cando, Napo, Citheronia bellavista cinerea male and female, Muchin, western Esmeraldas, Dirphia horca male, Rio Topo, Tungurahua, Hylesia annulata female, Durango, Esmeraldas. Many of these reports are from areas not previously reported on WLSS or in Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002 or even in more recent publications. The female of Hylesia annulata was not previously depicted on WLSS, nor was the male of Citheronia bellavista cinerea which Horst reared from eggs.

He also writes on October 1: "I will send you the picture of spread moths (first record en Ecuador) of Arsenura sylla niepelti from Lita area and first record of Paradaemonia platydesmia from western side of Ecuador, also spread picture of Arsenura thomsoni lemairei." All are now up.

Horst has also sent images of spread Meroleuca nata, not previously depicted on WLSS, Periga occidentalis, not previously listed from Tungurahua, as well as many of the Oxytenidae/Oxyteninae species from Ecuador: (Asthenidia terminalis, Oxytenis albilunulata, Oxytenis gigantea, Oxytenis peregrina all not previously depicted on WLSS), as well as Oxytenis epiphaea, modestia and naemia.

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Luigi Racheli has just sent images of female Automeris jivaros, Loja, Ecuador, and images of male and female Eacles ormondei violacea from Cocodrilo, Napo, Ecuador. These are in response to request for images of moths not previously depicted on WLSS.

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Paul Lanza, Howard Beach, NY, writes, October 5, 2007: "I have an unexpected amount of surplus Actias selene ova that I can send to anyone with foliage - free, also Rothchildia cincta larvae (privet) for the taking to anyone that can feed them."

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Chris Conlan has just sent a stunning image of an Automeris innoxia larva, not previously depicted on WLSS. Foodplant listing and location are also posted.

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Jonathon Tubbs has sent me images of spread male Catacantha latifasciata (not previously depicted on WLSS) and of Micragone nubifera (will try to get data and confirmation for this one).

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Carlot Didier has sent beautiful image of a female, spread specimen of a Arsenura ponderosa guianensis. This is a rare species.

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Chris Hanzlik has sent a series of images of spread specimens of Hemileuca electra clio, a subspecies not previously depicted in adult stage on WLSS.

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Preston Murphy has sent beautiful images (live moths) of a number of species from Fraser's Hill, Malaysia. Among them are males of several of the Antherea species not previously depicted on WLSS. See Malaysia checklist page. I really enjoy the Antheraea rosieri. Also new are males of youngi, helferi borneensis, lampei, platessa, and what may be steinkeorum/ulrichbroschi.

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Steve Kohll has just sent images of all instars of Rhodinia jankowskii, reared on Salix caprea, from Yuwushan, Duyun, east Guizhou, China, 1500m. Larvae of this species were not previously depicted on WLSS.

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Sphingidae Express

Jim Tuttle has advised me that his new book The Hawk Moths of North America is going to be released sometime this year. There is a discount for advance sale purchases. Info can be had at Introductory Offer.

I have received many Sphingidae images this summer and have been creating adult thumbnail as well as larval thumbnail checklists for many U.S. counties.

Jim Tuttle continues to be a great help to me with U.S. identifications and Jean Haxaire and Ian Kitching are great helps with regard to Central and South American species.

I have just placed an order for MORE, M.; KITCHING, I.J.; COCUCCI, A.A. - Sphingidae: Hawkmoths of Argentina / Esfingidos de Argentina, and I will use that reference to update my files for Argentina. It should also help me confirm identifications for a number of images I expect to receive from Argentina and from Paraguay.

Steve Hatt has just sent me images of an Agrius cingulata that made its way to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, October 3. Image posted to Nova Scotia Sphingidae page.

I have just created a checklist for Uruguay, based on information sent to me by Ezequiel Osvaldo Núñez Bustos who indicates he will be sending many images from Argentina. He recently sent a beautiful image of Adhemarius daphne, from Yacutinga Private Reserve, Misiones Province, near the border between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. The checklist for Argentina has been updated.

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Arctiidae Art

I am starting to see Pyrrharctia isabella larvae crossing the roads here in Montague. The ones I have seen so far (late September) have been relatively small, perhaps a result of our cloudy, cool, wet summer. I am seeing bigger ones now (October 6-7, about sam size as I have seen in past years).

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Catocala Capers

I have a small number of Catocala relicta eggs that I obtained in August. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Caterpillars Too!, a North American butterfly website:

I will also be relocating this website as it was on the webspace previously provided by Clive Pratt.

I hope to have all members notified of that change by early November.

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A new Coleoptera (Beetles) page is being created.

This page will be resricted to those members of WLSS who have an interest in Coleoptera (Beetles) and who are willing to have their email addresses posted there for correspondence, limited to the Coleoptera family.

This list will not be available through any search engines and will not be linked by me from any of my websites. Instead, those members who register (no charge) will be directed to an unlisted URL.

Members whose names appear on this list have agreed to use the contact information solely for the purpose of furthering their interests in Coleoptera.

Members have also agreed that they will neither post this list/page nor divulge its contents nor share its contents with others.

To have your name and email contact information posted on the Coleoptera page, send email to Bill Oehlke, indicating you agree to terms above.

N.B. This is note a Coleoptera site, just a listing of contact info for WLSS members with an interest in Coleoptera.

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I periodically receive images of Saturniidae that I am unable to id.

I usually seek help from Stefan Naumann and/or Ulrich Paukstadt for Russian, eastern Asian and southeast Asian species. Thierry Bouyer helps a great deal with African species as does Rolfe Oberprieler and Rodolphe Rougerie. For South and Central America I usually call upon Kirby Wolfe, Bernhard Wenczel, Thibaud Decaens, Eurides Furtado and/or Carlos Mielke.

Occasionally these gentlemen and a few others are also stumped. So that I do not lose track of the images, I am going to create a section called "Undetermined Saturniidae" where the images and all data I have received with them will be posted. Hopefully, over the years, all will eventually be identified.

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Sudden Move: Explanation: In late September I began receiving many messages that the access to WLSS was down through Clive Pratt's webspace. Clive had offered to provide free webspace for the site in exchange for advertising his dried specimens on the site. His linked banner has appeared on the homepage ever since. "I am in the process of tidying up my website as storage on the server is now costing me over £750.00/year

"Your site alone is taking up 630MB of space.

"I did see that your site's URL is bizland. So I assumed that you had moved it there and my space was no longer required.

"Especially since I have not heard from you at all for a very long time. Get back to me."

I wrote back to Clive:

Clive,

I have been doing regular updates to the site on your space and that is why the space utilized is up to 630MB.

I advertise the site on a Bizland page where I have my Sphingidae site and my Catocala site, but the site is not accessed by my membership on Bizland webspace. The majority of members, over 600 now, access the website on your webspace.

I have a back up site at 1 and 1 and have about 80 members accessing the WLSS through user name and password on the 1 and 1 space. The rest have been using the site on your space. New members are directed to the 1 & 1 site, but your banner is there as well in appreciation for use of webspace.

Your advertising banner and link to your website are still on the WLSS homepage, front and center on both sites.

I would like to be able to access the space via WS_FTP so that I can at least dismantle it and remove all the images and all files. Several members wrote to me in the last couple of days and asked what the problem was, and updates were working fine up til just a couple of days ago. Now I know what to tell them. I would like to do so on pages temporarily posted on insectcompany pages, probably for the month of October. By then I will have everyone moved and notified and will have recovered any files I need.

I will then move the entire membership to the 1 & 1 space via username and password. Hopefully that will reduce your expenses. Please advise.

Every month since October 2001 I have posted a monthly "mothly" newsletter on the site. There are probably a few pictures and maybe some files that are on your space, that I do not have saved elsewhere. I would like to be able to recover them. Hopefully they have not been deleted.

I would have advised you if I was no longer using your space.

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At any rate, I am now moving all members to the username password site, and I too may have to pay for "airtime". I am in process of checking my billing amount for my first six month contract with 1 & 1.

If there are substantial "air time/traffic fees", I am going to have to do something to pay for my rental as well. I do extensive uploads with all the new images and information I have been receiving, and am upgrading the site in other ways with creation of maps, provincial/department/state checklists for South and Central American countries, and extensive links which greatly assist with identifications.

I will honour my commitment of the one-time-life-time-membership fee or gift membership without fee, but am considering asking for a voluntary annual donation of $5.00/year to pay for my expenses.

I may someday (not now) be faced with a hard decision as membership and the site continues to grow, and will either have to cut off website access and simply provide a cd of the WLSS as it now stands to all members who do not wish to pay an annual dues.

I think those who wish to pay a small annual renewal fee for continued access to the site, which will continue to be upgraded regularly, will provide me with enough money to cover additional expenses should they occur.

I have just checked with Bizland and with 1 & 1, and my contract agreement with them appears that there will not be additional airtime/storage charges through them beyond basic annual fee. I will also begin to advertise membership fee (for new members only, i.e., people who register in November 2007 or later) as one that requires an initial fee of $40.00/year with annual dues of $5.00/year to cover airtime.

Thanks for your patience, continuous support and understanding.

I may have to alter most of the files so only a couple of images come up with each species file with links to the other pics. That way those who seek foodplant info will not have the down load time of ten to fifteen images. This will not be done right away, but will probably gradually be phased in so that as membership continues to grow and more and more images become available, people can access a species file for foodplant/range/identification/flight season data without incurring the download time of a great many images.

I appreciate Clive's support over the years with the webspace he has been providing, but fully understand that he should not be paying for our "airtime".

It is a surprise to me, however, that he has such expense, as my current airtime and storage contracts with Bizland and 1 & 1 are at much lower rates, between $60.00 and $80.00 respectively each year.

Current membership is now over 600, with about 400 of those members active. Gift memberships were given/have been given/ and will continue to be given to members who provide extensive data/images. They help greatly to make the site what it is.

My highspeed internet charges are around $500.00/year, and I would not try to operate without highspeed service.

When I first started the WLSS, membership was one-time-life-time fee of $20.00. Approximately 100 members registered at that rate.

Please let me know your thoughts/suggestions. I am sure my expenses will increase over the years, and it does not seem fair to pass burden of covering expenses soley to new members as all members receive benefits of continuous upgrades to site. I usually work on it 3-8 hours daily, nightly in summer months.

I would never expect the photogrpahers (regular submitters) or extensive data submitters or id helpers to pay an additonal fee.

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