Hi All,
Now is the time to place fall orders for cocoons, pupae and chrysalids if you have not already done so.
The following species will be available at prices listed in U.S. dollars for members:
Butterflies:
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtail at $4.00
Black Swallowtail and Zebra Swallowtail at $4.50
Sphingidae:
Smerinthus cerisyi as $3.50
Saturniidae Cocoons:
Actias luna, Callosamia promethea and Automeris io all at $4.00
Samia cynthia at 44.00 and Antheraea polyphemus at $4.50
Hyalophora cecropia and Hyalophora columbia at $6.00
Callosamia angulifera at $6.00--short supply, maximum of four/customer
Citheronia regalis at $16.00/pair--short supply, maximum of two pairs/customer
The following specialty items are expected in very limited numbers: Automeris pamina and Saturnia walterorum; price yet to be determined.
All shipping and handing to U.S. from within U.S. is $7.00. Overseas shipping is $10.00. In Canada, only the following are available: luna, promethea, cecropia, columbia, polyphemus, cerisyi, D. rubicunda and A. virginiensis both at $3.00 Canadian. Due to high fuel surcharges and postal rates, shipping in Canada is $12.00 Canadian.
All orders must be prepaid. Enquire first to confirm availability and confirm total amount. Personal check is preferred method of payment. Orders will be shipped starting in late October on first-paid-first-served basis until stocks run out.
I am very interested in procuring good sized healthy livestock of cecropia, angulifera and regalis. If you can offer those species in good quantity at wholesale prices, please send me an email.
I am also interested in expanding our sales listings to include Hyalophora euryalus, Hyalophora columbia gloveri, Eacles imperialis and other western and southern U.S. species. If you can offer those species in good quantity at wholesale prices, please send me an email.
I am expecting diapausing Callosamia securifera cocoons in December, but they will be handled as separate orders if/when they become available.
WLSS membership is now at 512 members as of September 18. Caterpillars Too! membership has also started to grow significantly in last two months so do not delay in processing your requests.
Cocoon harvest has been going well and I have taken in over 500 polyphemus cocoons and 300 columbia cocoons. Still have more in the woods. I have also taken in smaller numbers of luna, cecropia, io and promethea with lots still feeding.
As of this writing, August 18, all of the Anistoa virginiensis, Dryocampa rubicunda, and Sphingidae: Pachysphinx modesta, Paonias excaecata, Smerinthus cerisyi and Sphinx drupiferarum have pupated.
Smaller numbers of Eacles imperialis pini and Citheronia regalis are progressing nicely.
I will not be offering the pini for sale as I will only have small numbers. Regalis will probably only be available in U.S. this year. I also have only small numbers and want to save what I have for breeding purposes.
The first shipment of ten pairs of Callosamia securifera dead specimens from southern Alabama has arrived, and they are very nice and already spoken for.
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I have updated Dirphia centrifurca file courtesy of images and info from Bernhard Wenczel. I still have several newly described species to update courtesy of Bernhard.
I will shortly be making personal requests for images of and information about the various Dirphia species as I would like to make that section as complete as possible. As I revise the various individual species files, I am creating links back to country checklists which helps me and should help you with comparisons of similar species from the same area. For Ecuador I continue to work on developing provincial checklists.
Bernhard has just sent me beautiful images of recently described Dirphia naumanni and also indicates he will be sending paper on Dirphia demarmelsi. (Paper has arrived and file will be updated shortly).
I have also updated files for Automeris banus argentifera, Automeris innoxia, Rothschildia lebeau yucatana based on images courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter, and also Copaxa flavobrunnea.
Horst Kach indicates he will soon be sending me images of Dirphia somniculosa confluens from Ecuador (adults and larvae: done and posted). Horst also noticed a spelling error, which I have corrected, for Cerodirphia lojensis.
Horst has also sent images of Copaxa orientalis, Pseudautomeris yourii and Automeris napoensis, dorsal and ventral surfaces.
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Sebastian Brandner has some images on file from southern Cameroon which I still have to work through. Thanks to Thierry Bouyer and Philippe Darge for their help. Sebastian has sent dorsal and ventral images of Dactyloceras lucina female, Pseudobunaea cleopatra, Imbrasia forda amieti, Lobobunaea acetes male, Lobobunaea goodii female, Goodia falcata male, etc.
Sebastian and Jean-Louis Albert have been sending me collection data, date and precise location with recto and verso images, so the African species files for Cameroon and Gabon, respectively, are progressing nicely. Jean-Louis has recently sent Nudaurelia eblis male and Lobobunaea goodii male from Franceville, Gabon.
Also just in are Aurivillius aratus, Micragone neonubifera and Orthogonioptilum vestigiatum from the same area.
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Thierry Bouyer has sent an image of Antheraea compta from India. I did not have this species previously listed on WLSS and have added it to the India checklist.
Thierry also writes, there is "a mistake under guinezii: the male Nudaurelia gueinzii (male), Zambia, courtesy of Eric van Schayck. is a male of rhodina."
I have moved the image to the rhodina file. This notice should in no way be interpreted as a criticism of Eric van Schayck; many of the African species are very difficult to identify and many of the older texts have errors.
Thanks to Eric for the hundreds (over a thousand sent) of images he has supplied. Thanks to Thierry for the correction.
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Kirby Wolfe has sent some outstanding images with foodplants:
1. Hemileuca electra mojavensis, male - from San Bernardino Co., CA,
USA, reared on Eriogonum fasciculatum.
2. Hemileuca griffini, male - N. Arizona & S. Utah, reared on
Coleogyna ramosissima.
3. Rothschildia tucumani, female - S. Bolivia and NW Argentina,
reared on Baccharis sp.
4. Actias felicis, male - China, Guangdong Prov., reared on Pinus
radiata.
5. Actias felicis, female
6. Actias felicis, 5th instar
Kirby has also sent a hybrid cecropia x euryalus
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Dominique Ades has sent new hybrid images and text which I will hopefully upload shortly. I have been extremely busy!
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Check out Montreal Insect Show!
Insectes Mondiaux Inc.
http://www.insect-trade.com
Address:
Passion Papillon (Store)
960 Boul. du Lac
Quebec, QC
G2M 0G6 CANADA
Tel / Fax : (418) 907-7367
e-mail: info@insect-trade.com
Montreal Insect Show
October 14-15th 2006, at the Maisonneuve College
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Weiwei Zhang sent images of what appears to be a subspecies of Antheraea frithi and what appears to be a subspecies of Rhodinia fugax. Stefan Naumann has confirmed them to that level, but cannot go further without more specific collection data from China. I have posted images to the respective nominate files.
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Jean-Louis Albert has sent images (recto and verso) of Pseudimbrasia deyrollei male from Franceville, Gabon, taken August 19, 2006.
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Horst Kach is also sending me the same kind of collecting data with recto and verso images from many provinces in Ecuador.
The Saturniini, Attacini and Arsenurinae provincial checklists for Ecuador are complete (accessed from Ecuador page) and I am now working on Hemileucinae.
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Eric Vingerhoedt has sent me images of Argema fournieri from northern Nigeria and also sent an image of a crab making away with a Bunaeopsis licharbus from the same area.
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Uwe Kaus has sent images of fourth and fifth instar Syssphinx bidens.
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I am interested in purchasing a copy of Lemaire's Ceratocampinae. If you have a copy you are no longer using, please let me know. The book is out of print. I wish to use it to create provincial/regional/state checklists for Central and South American Ceratocampinae.
Bernhard Wenczel leant me a copy a couple of years ago, but I did not record the finer level of range distributions before I returned the book.
I have finished Provincial Distributions in Ecuador for Arsenurinae, Attacini, Saturniini, and am now picking away at the Hemileucinae.
I now have the lend of the book and am working on files, updating links to respective countries and creating Ecuadorian provincial checklists as I go.
I have received a copy on loan and am now updating Ceratocampinae files to include provinces, regions, states in South and Central American coutries. I am creating provincial checklists for Ecuador as I go.
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Sphingidae Express
Joan F. Rickert of Wisconsin has sent me some nice images of a Sphinx eremitus larva. I will post shortly. She's also recently found Paonias myops and Hemaris diffinis larvae in her backyard.
Joe Garris is also sending Sphingidae images and data for Sussex County, New Jersey, including a very nice picture of Darapsa versicolor. Sussex County is now posted.
Yolanda Acevedo sent me what I think is a rare stray into Florida: Darapsa myron mexicana. Hillsborough County, Florida page is now up. Jean Haxaire indicates the moth is not subspecies mexicana, just a very pale form of nominate myron. Jean sent a beautiful live shot of D. m. mexicana from Mexico.
Gil Quintanilla sent me a very nice image of Aellopos clavipes in flight from Hidalgo County, Texas.
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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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Please check the Members' Wish list periodically and help when you can.
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Catocala Capers
I am hoping that more members will send me images of Catocala species with data as I would like to create state by state checklists. A few states have been posted. I believe the Canadian provincial checklists are quite accurate but am happy to confirm presence with posting of high quality images.
Joe Garris from Sussex County, New Jersey, has begun to send me images of Catocala from his county. I hope to put together state by state and county by county pictoral checklists for the Catocala. Help with sighting data and images would be greatly appreciated.
On August 30 Joe sent a beautiful Catocala palaeogama (form) phalanga, which I will post shortly. It is very striking and unusual.
I will begin with some interpolated lists once the rearing season slows down.
Bill Garthe has begun to do the same for Illinois, and I am working on county checklists.
Carroll McRudy has sent nice images from Wisconsin, including a troublesome Catocala unijuga which Larry Gall has confirmed. Joan F. Rickert has also been sending nice images from Wisconsin.
Preliminary work has been done for Wisconsin and New Jersey, and now for Illinois, Wisconsin and New York.
Several people from various states are compiling their data.
Jim Varga has also given permission to use some of his outstanding images and will hopefully be sending me full sized jpgs when he has time.
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Arctiidae Art
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Caterpillars Too!
Joan Rickert has been finding many larvae and they are being added to her county pages. Several new memberships have come in for August.
I have begun to link Catocala and Sphingidae pages from the personalized butterfly access pages. Joan is first one to have this done.
I have begun to work in some of the butterfly images sent me by Rebekah Garris, daughter of Joe, on the Sussex County, New Jersey page.
Rebekah also specializes in wildflower photography and I have made some preliminary postings to http://www.huffmantaxidermy.net./oehlke/RebekahGarriswildflowers.htm
Individual species files will be linked to Rebekah's pages so people can learn about the various nectar sources of butterflies.
I have linked Sphinx eremitus to Monarda fistulosa. Rebekah has many images to follow.
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