 The first of our cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) cocoons has eclosed. Stock originated as eggs from New York, June 2016; currently in the F1 generation. Late this evening, we found this whopping male cecropia (Hyalophora cecropia) in our pupae box. Granted, it is actually quite small, even for a male, but having not seen anything close to its size in so long it still comes off as being huge. What is interesting is that it is extremely pale for a male (which are generally darker than females); the black is sort of a dirty gray and the red is is rather mellow. This is unlike the phenotype we observed in the previous generation or what is typical. It may have something to do with the different rearing conditions that the current brood experienced, or it could simply be odd genetics. This male took 21 days to eclose, which is reasonably long for a moth of this size. Still, this is down quite a bit from the times that we observed in last year, where the moths took about two months to come out. Most likely, the pupae broke diapause immediately this time around because the juxtaposition of cold and warm was dramatic enough when they were taken out of the refrigerator; our dorm is set at about 70 °F 24/7. Last year when we took them out of the refrigerator, it was still February where it was only about mid 50-60s °F at room temperature. Anyway, hopefully, this timing is right. Now that it is mid-May with the weather warm, we are certain that the wild population should be stirring by now. Granted, cecropias are generally the latest of the saturniids, owing to their larger size (longer development time) and may not be in full flight until well into June. Nonetheless, if a female does comes out later, we will try to call in a wild male to avoid having to inbreed for a second time in a row.  Brian Liang
Brian Liang is a student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York pursuing an undergraduate degree in entomology. He is co-owner and a main contributor to the Liang Insects blog, insects articles, and site design.
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Timeline 2017–present
Ithaca, New York This timeline is a series of daily posts recording our observations and experiences with various insects around the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York, starting from the time we moved here in 2017. As this is a personal blog, we try to keep collections for our entomology course work to a minimum, and mainly focus on just the species we catch and raise for our own fun and interest. Posts prior to this time can be viewed at Timeline 2012-2017: Albany, California. Archives (80)
June 2018 (2) May 2018 (17) April 2018 (2) January 2018 (2) December 2017 (8) November 2017 (1) October 2017 (5) September 2017 (25) August 2017 (18) Author
Full Species List
(Alphabetical by scientific name) Lepidoptera Actias luna Allancastria cerisyi Agraulis vanillae Ancyloxypha numintor Callosamia promethea Colias eurytheme Citheronia regalis Cupido comyntas Danaus plexippus Darapsa myron Epargyreus clarus Estigmene acrea Euchaetes egle Hyalophora cecropia Limenitis arthemis Manduca sexta Orgyia leucostigma Papilio cresphontes Papilio eurymedon Papilio rutulus Papilio troilus Papilio zelicaon Pyrgus communis Samia ricini Smerinthus ophthalmica Speyeria cybele Vanessa cardui Vanessa virginiensis Lepidoptera Hybrids Papilio polyxenes asterius × Papilio zelicaon Orthoptera Conocephalus sp. Dissosteira carolina Melanoplus femurrubrum Neoconocephalus ensiger Neoxabea bipunctata Full Species List (Alphabetical by scientific name) Butterflies & Moths American lady Anise swallowtail Carolina sphinx Cecropia moth Common checkerspot skipper Eastern festoon Eastern-tailed blue Eri Silkmoth Least skipper Monarch Giant swallowtail Great spangled fritillary Luna moth Milkweed tussock moth Orange sulfur Ophthalm Sphinx Painted lady Pale swallowtail Promethea silkmoth Regal moth Salt marsh moth Silver-spotted skipper Spicebush swallowtail Virginia creeper sphinx Western tiger swallowtail White Admiral White-marked tussock moth Butterfly & Moth Hybrids Black swallowtail × anise swallowtail Grasshoppers, Katydids, & Crickets Carolina band-winged grasshopper Lesser meadow katydid Red-legged grasshopper Sword-bearing conehead katydid Two-spotted tree cricket Collecting Sites Beebe Lake Cornell Botanic Gardens Monkey Run Mundy Wildflower Garden Albany, California Updates |
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