Syssphinx montana, fifth instar, Florida Canyon, Pima County, Arizona,
September 3, 2011, courtesy/copyright Margarethe Brummermann, Tucson, AZ.
Hi All,
I recently received a very nice image of fifth instar Syssphinx montana larva:
Syssphinx montana, fifth instar, Florida Canyon, Pima County, Arizona,
September 3, 2011, courtesy/copyright Margarethe Brummermann, Tucson, AZ.
Margarethe had asked for some id assistance to distinguish between montana and hubbardi larvae, and I wrote back:
"Tuskes, Tuttle and Collins report variability amongst larvae of same species, often associated with foodplant, but generally the ones like your larva from Peppersauce Canyon with purplish red and green colour (sometimes yellow and green) on enlarged thoracic scoli represent hubbardi; while those with green at base, then entire shaft of thoracic scoli red as per your Florida Canyon larva are most often montana. Comments apply to mature larvae. You might have to rear some through with documentation to see how consistent those characters are. Montana most likely to be on low growing acacia and honey locust; Hubbardi most often on Honey Mesquite and Wight’s Acacia."
Margarethe replies, "Thanks, Bill, The distinction between low and high Acacias/ Mesquites fits exactly for Peppersauce Canyon versus Florida Canyon larvae, and we had montana adults only in Florida Canyon (all Arizona)."
Syssphinx hubbardi fifth instar, Pepper Sauce Canyon, Pinal County, Arizona,
courtesy of Margarethe Brummermann, id by Bill Oehlke
Thibaud Decaens writes, "Here are some photos that may be of interest for your web site.
"These are larvae, female and ... bilateral gynandromorph of Eacles ducalis, reared on Eucalyptus from eggs laid by a female collected in Santa Catarina, South Brazil. I had only two pupae left when the gynandromorph hatched, and that was several months after the first adult hatched. The female in the other photo hatched the day before. Unfortunately I did not see this beauty when it hatched, and it was two days before I saw it, so this explains why it has the apex of the female forewing broken. But this remains exceptional ..."
Eacles ducalis gynandromorph, Santa Catarina, southeastern Brazil,
reared on Eucalyptus, courtesy/copyright Thibaud Decaens.
I will add the images of larva and female, via links, to the ducalis file, and will also update the food plant listing to include Eucalyptus. This is the first time a live female of this species is depicted on WLSS.
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For the first time on WLSS a live female Coloradia pandora davisi is depicted.
Coloradia pandora davisi female and eggs, Grand Canyon, Coconino County, Arizona,
September 4, 2011, courtesy of Suzy Szumowski via Betsy Higgins.
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Many thanks to Johan van't Bosch who continues to send me images from Suriname: Schausiella subochrata, Otherene hodeva, Eacles imperialis cacicus, Dirphia acidalia. None are complete surprises, but I had missed acidalia in my initial creation of the Suriname checklist. Lemaire had listed it for Suriname, but had not specified a location. I believe hodeva was not listed for Suriname by Lemaire, but is was certainly listed in surrounding countries and was expected in Suriname. It is first time live Dirphia acidalia is depicted on WLSS. All are from Brownsberg, Brokopondo District.
Dirphia acidalia male, Brownsberg, Brokopondo, Suriname,
July 7, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch.
Ryan Saint Laurent advises me of an Eacles imperialis pini larva sighting in northern Vermont: Grand Isle County. I have sent an email to BAMONA indicationg the image is of subspecies pini as noted by Ryan because of the white dorso-lateral scoli and location. Other reports of imperialis in northern half of of Vermont are also probably of subspecies pini.
Coincidentally I recieved an image of a pini larva from Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, September 11, 2011, from non-member Rachel Dingman. Clinton County is in northeastern New York, and I believe is adjacent to Grand Isle County, Vermont. It must be a good year for pini in that area.
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In mid July, Alan Marson sent some beautiful images of Actias isis fifth instar larvae, cocoons, and live female. I am just getting around to posting them now.
Actias isis fifth instar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, courtesy of Alan Marson.
Elspeth Kenny sends the following image from Senegal. This is first time I have seen B. alcinoe reported from Senegal.
Bunaea alcinoe fifth instar, Senegal,
July 2010, courtesy of Elspeth Kenny.
Please note: I reside in Canada at the following address and payment for Saturniidae livestock (eggs, cocoons, pupae) and/or sleeves must be sent to me only at this address:
Bill Oehlke
Box 476
155 Peardon Road
Montague, Prince Edward Island, C0A 1R0
Canada
Postage from USA to Canada is $0.79 so please use that amount on your envelope with your payment.
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I have had another busy summer. It has almost slipped by already, but I got some much needed work done on the house and storage sheds, and was able to spend some time at the beaches with my wife, sons, daughters and grandchildren. I have also begun to harvest luna and polyphemus cocoons. Anisota virginiensis have pupated and Paonias excaecata are ready to pupate now. Just about all the firewood has been split and put into the shed, and I am going fishing tomorrow no matter what!
I thank everyone who has submitted images for their patience. I have not posted many of the images yet, but hope during the next month or so to get caught up with the postings.
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Rich Ashcraft sends these beautiful images of hybrid Antheraea polyphemus x Antheraea oculea.
Antheraea polyphemus x Antheraea oculea hybrid male,
August 31, 2011, courtesy of Rich Ashcraft.
Antheraea polyphemus x Antheraea oculea hybrid female,
August 31, 2011, courtesy of Rich Ashcraft.
Antheraea oculea female, June 16, 2011, courtesy of Rich Ashcraft.
Antheraea oculea female, June 16, 2011, courtesy of Rich Ashcraft.
Antheraea oculea female, June 16, 2011, courtesy of Rich Ashcraft.
Johan van't Bosch recently sent me some images of live Saturniidae at lights in Brownsberg (just south of Brownsweg), Brokopondo District, in eastern Suriname. I have identified Automeris curvilinea, Othorene purpurascens, Automeris egeus, Titaea tamerlan amazonensis, Schausiella polybia from the first group of five photos submitted, and I will post them via links from respective files. It is very nice to receive images and data from Suriname, and some of these images represents extensions of ranges into Suriname. Johan indicates more images, including some of Sphingidae, will be forthcoming.
Automeris egeus, Brownsberg, Brokopondo District, Suriname,
July 7, 2011, courtesy of Johan van't Bosch, id by Bill Oehlke
Hemileuca eglanterina fifth instar, Shelton, Mason County, Washington,
August 27, 2011, courtesy of Glee Joy.
Here is a larva I am going to add to the "unknown" folder. I think it is probably the highly variable Copaxa multifenestrata, but it could be rufa, something else or one of the newer Copaxa described from Mexico.
Copaxa unknown, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico,
September 1, 2011, 7000ft, Stefanie Graves.
Ryan Saint Laurent reports Citheronia sepulcralis with a distant shot (not posting quality, but definitely sepulcralis) of a larva feeding on Pinus clausa, Sand Pine, in Marion County, Florida, August 27, 2011. This is first time report from Marion County, and a new food plant listing.
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Automeris escalantei female ??, Guatemala,
courtesy of Alan Marson, tentative id by Bill Oehlke.
"Regarding the Automeris that you feel might be escalantei, Lemaire writes that it is almost impossible to differentiate between escalantei and montezuma males without examination of genitalia, except for the yellowish dots on montezuma along intersection of wing veins and pml line. Lemaire shows female of montezuma without those same yellow dots so I expect those scales can be quickly lost in flight. He indicates that the female of escalantei is unknown, but I suspect it would be almost identical to montezuma female, (montezuma 68-82mm, known from Huehuetenango, Guatemala). Escalantei males have been taken in Alto Verapaz, Guatemala. Escalantei appears to be a rare species with males slightly smaller than montezuma.
"Automeris pallidior is also from Guatemala and is more widely distributed there (females 60-75mm). I think it (pallidior) can be ruled out as it has a duller, lighter ground colour and generally lacks the dark median band present in your specimen. If I had to make a choice between montezuma and escalantei for your female, I would go with escalantei because it has a very straight pm line, except for slight out turns near costa and inner margin, while Lemaire’s image of female montezuma shows slightly convex pm line subparallel to outer margin. I do not know, however, whether that is a significant distinguishing character."
Wingspan and location might help, but I think Alan perhaps only received the digital image from a collector in Guatemala.
Additional information arrived: 1656m (very precise!), at Baja Vera Paz, Cerca Pululha.
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Sphingidae Express
I have been getting many reports of Eumorpha pandorus and Eumorpha achemon the last few weeks. In several cases the northern range of E. achemon is expanding.
Hyles euphorbiae is now breeding in west central Wisconsin as I received a larval image from Trempealeau County.
Gregory Nielsen has recently sent images of Aellopos ceculus, Eumorpha megaeacus, Pachygonidia caliginosa all from Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia. It is nice to get these confirmations. Gregory sends images (recto and verso) of spread specimens with elevation, date, location, forewing length.
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Catocala Capers
More and more people are sending me Catocala images and data.
Harry Dale King has sent much data from Michigan. Dave Small has been updating me with beautiful images and data from Massachusetts, and Steve Lemieux is providing great coverage from Maine.
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