First Callosamia promethea Ecloses

Our first promethea moth (Callosamia promthea) eclosed from cocoons we received just days ago from Massachusetts.

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Wow, that was fast. We assumed these cocoons were fresh based on the condition of the leaves fixed to them but apparently not.  We received them just last Friday and stuck them in the incubator at constant 77°F/25°C, and out comes the first one today.

The moth emerged from one of the smaller cocoons and unsurprisingly is an extremely small male. It's wingspan is puny at around just 50 cm - far lower than cited in literature. You can just see how small it is when compared to the hand in the photo. Looks like the stock we received wasn't good quality as is sometimes the case with trading, but as long as we can get eggs out of these five cocoons eventually, it doesn't matter if this guy's puny.

The moth is quite stunning despite its small size. This species is sexually dimorphic, with the males being black purportedly to mimic the toxic pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) as it flies during the day. It has a strong resemblance to the other Attacini moths, having similar wing shape and patterns. The wings of this species seem especially elongated though, more so than the Hyalophora and Samia species for sure. When the wings are folded, the hindwings are actually wider than the forewings, and when the wings are spread, the base of the hindwings must be folded down as there isn't enough space for them. The underside of the moth is a dark pinkish brown with white patterns. The male claspers are quite large on this species and open readily. Hopefully, this male isn't just some super early bird and others will follow in its emergence so we can get a pairing soon. 

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Authors
Alan Liang

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