Actias sinensis

Jan Hellert sent me this collection of images showing a newly emerged Actias sinensis inflating its wings.

Jan wrote,
"Here are again some pictures off a video I took. Because of the warm temperatures last week (about 13°C), most of my sinensis emerged. I also tried to film a male of them inflating its wings, but suddenly it stopped the procedure for half an hour and when it continued, the wings were already too dry to get their normal size."

Bill Oehlke writes,
I had some Saturnia pavonia or Aglia tau in cold storage in a mini fridge. We lost power for a few days due to an ice storm in March. I don't think temps ever got above 10-12 C, but the moths started emerging.

It doesn't take much warmth to "process" development, especially of stock that is being delayed beyond its normal eclosion date.

Small species like Saturnia mendocina also develop very rapidly.

They caught me unexpectedly, emerging only eight-nine days after coming out of cold storage. They had been kept cool well beyond their normal eclosion dates of March-April and "popped" very quickly when I took them out of storage in May.

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