Beiträge von Bartmantis

Dear friends and Actias users,
My apologies for being unable to speak German, I hope English will suffice

I have come to the forums to ask for advice about one species I have been raising recently: Areas galactina.
Since about 2014 this was one of my "dream" species of Arctiidae to breed and I was very happy to see livestock of them for sale in 2017. I tried raising many and now I am at the point of collecting many pupae and cocoons of them after a succesful rearing.

But I do have one worry about this species.
See, many of my friends have raised this species too, but many of them report to me that they have ended up with dead and dried out pupae!
My larvae are pupating now and the pupae still seem fresh and healthy, but I worry about them having the same fate, since my friends kept them in normal room conditions, but something seems to have gone wrong. It seems that perhaps they need a different treatment than simply room temperature?

I am however not very experienced with creating a humid setup for cocoons, and I wonder about pathogens like mold (fungus) or mites growing in a humid storage for cocoons. My question is as follows: does anyone know a good setup for the pupae of Areas galactina, and how can I prevent mine from dieing as they have done with many of my friends? I must also add that my experience with the subfamily Arctiidae is limited, I have only done European ones but never tropical species.
Are there any breeders here that have raised this moth from egg to adult and had normal, healthy adults eclose? If yes, how did you treat the cocoons?
Or maybe I am worrying too much?
Thank you all for reading and regards,
Bart Coppens

Additional info, the wingspan is about 9CM.
It was among caught Sphingidae from Togo, Africa, probably mistaken for a Sphingidae.

Unknown Cossidae, anyone know the ID?

Caught: Togo, Africa

After a quick research I found it meight be Automeris maeonia..

Could someone confirm this claim?

This is how it lives, hidden between Paradirphia very obviously another specie

Story behind this caterpillar: (English)

A while ago, I ordered eggs of Paradirphia semirosea from Mexico.
However, in this group of caterpillars, I have noticed one caterpillar of totally different colours and appearance.
My guess is it must be a different species. It travels and feeds with the Paradirphia semirosea group, which is why I did not notice it before.

A single wild egg of another species must have been mixed up with my Paradirphia.

It is bright red in appearance, with white markings and milky white/yellow spines. Pictures attached.

It could be hard to ID this, does anyone know what it could be? Thanks!

Pseudosphinx tetrio

Turns out, it spun a cocoon today!
It was indeed pupation!

Thank you for your answer Fabian.

I am not entirely sure if it is still eating, for it was in a big group and I just recently discovered it!
I have put it in quarantaine with an oak leaf so I will see if it feeds.

It does move around its enclosure, but that could also be because it is disturbed when I moved it to quarantaine.

When I touch it it will assume a defensive position (curling up to a ball)

Dear Actias,
Today I encountered one of my Automeris tridens that has turned to a golden/yellow colour.

What could be causing this abnormal color?
Could it be an indication of a disease or illness, or simply a mutation, or perphaps pupation?

The only colour healthy larvae are supposed to have, is green.

It is so far the only larva of the group that has turned this colour.
Regards,
Bart

In most of Europe, Acherontia atropos will not survive the winter.

This is because Acherontia atropos is native to Afrika, and some parts of South Europe (Kreta). They need a very hot climate.
The reason they are found all over Europe is because they are excellent migrants. In summer, they can migrate from Afrika all the way to Sweden and Russia.
They are however not fit to survive in these climates. Most Acherontia atropos overwintering in the northern parts of Europe will die from the cold in winter.

In Afrika, they do not overwinter at all and spawn continuous broods.

If you plan to release the moth outside then yes, I would overwinter them.
If you plan to breed them in captivity, then there is no need for overwintering.

Hello rat, I don't speak german very well so I will reply in English

The deathshead hawkmoth is continuously brooded. This means they can have unlimited generations without needing to overwinter.
Your pupae will emerge this year if you keep them warm enough (room temperature).
It is possible to overwinter them though, but it is optional. By keeping them cool (around 5-10 degrees) they will go into a diapause. If not, they emerge.

Thanks Niklas

Found on 22 July 2014, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria

Moths in your second picture appear to be Altinote sp.
I think the orange one could be Altinote negra

Bottom butterfly (green, tailed) is Eurytides serville if you ask me.

The middle one (red and black) appears to be Amarynthis meneria