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On Royal Wings

  • Thread starter hcarlton
  • Start date
Starting a separate thread in case further endeavors branch out, but for now, I have one new temporary guest to the house that I must share:
Cecropia moth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
I was given a cocoon as a free gift alongside some mantid ooths, and it finally hatched out yesterday! Sadly, I only have the one, so there will be no mating, but I can enjoy it while it's here...
Cecropia moth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
And it's BIG
Cecropia moth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Cecropia moth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Cecropia moth by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

I have cocoons now from 3 other species (Luna, Promethea, Polyphemus), and I am hoping for both males and females as well as the ability to find food for caterpillars if any result, but if not at least I will get an opportunity for some great specimens!
 
Will you be keeping him until he dies or allowing him to go free and try to find a mate?
 
If those moths are local to your area, and if that moth is a female (looks like it might be), you can place her in a screen cage outside at night and her pheromones will attract males to the screen cage. Then all you have to do is net one of the males and place him in the screen cage with the female. After she lays eggs with you, you can let her go. :D

Raising Moths and Butterflies is so rewarding. I miss raising them. Too many projects going on right now, but hopefully I'll have some again in the next few years.
 
Whoops! Double Post.
 
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No, none of the species I have are native to the area. They will not be released.
 
Glad you're bring responsible!
Please post photos of the other species when they hatch out! :)
 
Confirmed the Cecropia is a female:
Cecropia eggs by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr

Also, the cocoon I set aside from my set of Polyphemus in hopes it would hatch in time to share with my lab students (it was too late by 2 days) hatched a beautiful female! Still waiting also on the set aside Promethea cocoon; the rest are still dormant in the basement
Polyphemus moth (female) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus moth (female) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus moth (female) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Also yes, those spots in the wings are entirely transparent sections of membrane. You can see the background through them
Polyphemus moth (female) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus moth (female) by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
 
So beautiful! I'm not ready to start raising larvae but you are really making me want to get some cocoons to hatch! It's been too long since I've had any moths or butterflies. What source did you get them from?
 
  • #10
eBay. I'll probably look into other sources though for some, as costs on a couple other websites I visited later are either comparable or much lower (in the case of Cecropia, there's a site where I could get 10 caterpillars for $60, as opposed to the one eBay listing I found for one cocoon for $128!).
 
  • #11
Truly, a wonder of wonders: this is my first Luna moth!
Luna moth male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Luna moth male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Luna moth male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Luna moth male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Luna moth male by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
That one is the male; I was even luckier when two days later the female hatched out, and I was home and in my room to catch it happening! If you find my Instagram account (carltoncarnivores), you can find both pics, and even video of her emerging!
Best part though: I won't know for certain unless they hatch of course, but as male and female were present and alive together for at least a few nights, there's a good chance that the eggs the female is laying are fertile, and I can have hatching Luna caterpillars in a couple weeks!

Also in good standing: this is a beautiful female Promethea moth!
Polyphemus female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Polyphemus female by Hawken Carlton, on Flickr
Compare her to the male that was posted earlier in this thread; it's quite a shocking difference, unlike anything seen in the other 3 species I had (of which turns out all 4 of my Polyphemus are/were females...sigh...). A male also hatched out two days after she did, and while she hasn't laid many, that means there is a very high chance the eggs she's deposited so far are fertile too! Another male also hatched today, just in time to replace the previous one, so here's hoping her gets her to lay more! And, one more cocoon yet to hatch for both Promethea and Luna...who knows if they will or not, but we'll see.
 
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