Aberrations and Gynandromorphs

"Please find attached the photo I took of a perfectly symmetrical gynandromorph of Graellsia isabelae galliaegloria Oberthür, 1923 (French subspecies) obtained in my lab at INRA in May 2007."

Carlos offers a brief description of the project: "Graellsia isabelae (Graëlls, 1849) is a moth (Saturniidae) distributed mainly in Spain, with a few small populations in France and Switzerland.

"It is highly protected at both national and international level. However, there is neither genetic nor population data which would allow to set up a suitable conservation plan for this species. This project represents the first study on conservation genetics of a protected species of insect with a main Iberian distribution.

"We would like to identify its sexual pheromone which would be used in field surveys to update the distribution range of this species. We will use newly developed microsatélite markers and DNA sequence data (i) to study intraspecific genetic variability, population genetic structure and estimate population size, (ii) to assess the validity of the five different described subspecies, (iii) to trace the origin of the controversial French subspecies galliaegloria, (iv) to study the phylogeography and postglacial history of the species, and (vi) to estimate gene flow between populations.

"The genetic study of Iberian, French and Swiss populations will allow us to identify which populations show higher genetic diversity and should therefore be focus of a higher degree of protection."

Visit Graellsia isabelae (isabellae) bilateral gynandromorph, courtesy of Alan Marson.

Hylophora gloveri, collected as a wild 5th instar larva on Sand Bar Willow, Clearfield, Utah,
emerged June 21, 1986, Bruce Duncan Collection courtesy of Scott Smith.

Scott writes, "This is a color/pattern aberration. This is an extreme example and is thought to be typically caused by extreme cold exposure or some other environmental factor rather than by genetics. I have produced similar looking adults from normal stock (none nearly this extreme) by refrigerating cocoons for extended periods of time."

I, Bill Oehlke, am not sure of the strictly scientific definition of the word "aberration" as it relates to Lepidoptera, but this page/file will be used to display unusual specimens of various Saturniidae.

Members having information regarding the inducement of aberrations or having unusual specimens can submit same for inclusion on this page.

I seem to remember Chris Conlan advising me several years ago that high altitude species reared at significantly lower elevations often result in "aberrations".

Others have advised that subjection to extreme cold during wing scale formation can lead to aberrations, especially melanic characteristics.

Bruce Duncan, with many years of experience, indicates foodplants may also be responsible for variations/aberrations.

I am not sure of developmental time of scale formation or to what degree temperature or possibly air pressure would have to be altered to produce such interesting oddities.

Antheraea polyphemus, melanic characteristics, Bill Oehlke, June 2003

My cocoons are stored in airtight ziplock tubs in my refrigerator crisper from October until May.

The above female surprised me. I first noted dark gray colouration of the sides of the thorax and abdomen and then observed the large ocelli and dark scales when the moth opened its wings.

I do not know if this moth emerged from local stock or from a cocoon purchased elsewhere.

I placed the female in a "calling cage" and was able to get a subsequent pairing and viable eggs. Larvae progressed as per normal polyphemus and were just about ready to spin when we got hit by a hurricane and torrential rains that lasted for about a week. My sleeves were severely damaged and combination of wind and bird damage resulted in my loss of the entire crop. My only hope is that some of the caterpillars escaped from the shredded sleeve at night (not eaten by birds) and have cocooned and wil be seen during normal flight season in June-July of 2004.

Actias luna aberrant male, Don Oehlke, April 23, 2003

Image courtesy of Loretta Calvet, my sister.

It is thought to be an extreme aberration of Automeris io

Black Anisota stigma, courtesy of Robert Muller, Connecticut.

I saw these moths in Robert's collection when I visited in summer of 2003. I will ask Bob for more details.

Bob has kindly replied, "This all started when I collected a female Anisota stigma in Virginia in July of 1993. She laid a group of eggs which I reared on my return home. In 1994 all that made it emerged as normal orange color adults. Only two matings took place with all that emerged; they just didn't want to get together. In 1995 I continued to rear them.

"In 1996, the sixty pupae I had began to emerge on July 3rd. On 7-11 four females emerged but no males so I released them. Then, on July 12th, I looked in the cage & there was the first BLACK WING male. I put him in with 2 fresh normal females but no mating took place. He remained with them until he was all beat up.

"On July 16, 1966, a BLACK FEMALE emerged, I placed her in a cage with five normal males & the next morning she was mated. By 9-13 the larva from this mating were going under ground in the dirt I had in a 20 gallon fish tank.

"Then on July 2, 1997 a BLACK MALE emerged but no females of any form. He got beat up so I collected him. On July 6 a BLACK FEMALE emerged & was mated the following morning with a normal male. I reard these & came up with 44 pupa.

"Then July 1, 1998 they started to emerge, no Black form.

"In 1999 I had 63 pupa but again no Black form.

"In 2000 only normal color males & females emerged & I couldn't get one pair mated so lost the stock. The cycle was over.

"During the entire period I did collect & mount 3 Black females & 3 Black males. I donated one pair to U.Conn. & held 2 pair + a beat up female after she laid her eggs.

"I guess that's the end of the story!

"One added note, I showed them to Charles Remington of Yale & he felt a recessive gene might have kicked in & they may have been Black hundreds of years ago.

Well anyway, I'm the only person on earth that has them other than the pair I donated to U.Conn."

Scott Smith writes, "The top specimen is a color aberration, NOT a faded specimen; it has always looked as it appears now, lacking all red in the wings.

"Bruce Duncan hypothesizes that the odd color MAY be an albino form, or a form simply lacking the gene for the red pigment. The determination could also be as simple as food plant selection as Bruce has noticed a large variety of colors produced simply by varying food plants. This is by far the most extreme example he or I have ever seen. Moth is from the Bruce Duncan Collection."

So that this page does not take too much time loading, I will post other aberrations/anomalies etc. to individual pages linked below.

Actias selene?? Gynandromorph, courtesy of Alex Baranowski.

Actias selene gynandromorph, courtesy of Philippe Brems.

Actias sinensis aberration; Thibaud Decaens.

Arsenura sylla sylla bilateral gynandromorph; Eurides Furtado

Attacus atlas gynandromorph, Java, Indonesia, courtesy of Marc Fischer.

Attacus atlas melanic male, Thailand, courtesy of Marc Fischer.

Automeris amoena amoena aberrant female; Eurides Furtado

Automeris excreta female; John Ciseski
Wing shape and melding of antemedial and postmedial lines.

Automeris goiasensis aberrant male; Eurides Furtado

Automeris io pair with unusual "broken eyes"; John Ciseski

Automeris io male aberration/mutation ??, courtesy of Joel Szymczyk.

Automeris midea bilateral gynandromorph, courtesy of Steve Kohll.

Automeris zugana male aberration, Pichincha Province, Ecuador, courtesy of Horst Kach.

Brahmaea certhia aberrant female, courtesy of Anatolij Kulak.

Caligula simla gynandromorphs, courtesy of Anatolij Kulak.

Hybrids of Citheronia regalis x Citheronia s. splendens with gynandromorph hybrid larva, courtesy of Katelyn Mayo.

Copaxa rufinans male, aberration: no forewing ocelli, Qunitana Roo, Mexico, courtesy of Dave Rolfe.

Eacles ducalis bilateral gynandromorph, Santa Catarina, Brazil, courtesy of Thibaud Decaens.

Hemileuca maia maia: Aberrant specimens that lack or have a greatly reduced white forewing band are referred as lintneri; John Ciseski

Hyalophora cecropia males, Malay Falls, Nova Scotia, Derek Bridgehouse.

Red Hyalophora cecropia; Jim Anderson

Mini Hyalophora cecropia courtesy of David Albaugh

Hyalophora cecropia courtesy of Ray Gibbons, via Keith Warren

Hyalophora columbia gloveri aberration; Derek Bridgehouse

Hyalophora columbia gloveri second aberration; Derek Bridgehouse

Leucanella contempta aberration; Faviola Montes via Juan Chavez

Lobobunaea angasana aberrant female; Jan Hellert

Loepa diffundata aberrant male, courtesy of Stefan Naumann.

Loepa species with rudimentary fifth wing, Yunnan, China, courtesy of Weiwei Zhang.

Rothschildia hopferi aberrant male; Dominique Adès

Rothschildia jacobaeae gynandromorph, Buenos Aires, Argentina, courtesy of Alejandro Borquez.

Samia species from southern China with rudimentary tails, courtesy of Robert Vuattoux.

Saturnia pavonia bilateral gynandromorph, courtesy of Dave Moore, via Dave Rolfe.

Saturnia pyri female with unusual wing shape; John Ciseski

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