On the nights of the 19th and 20th October she laid 108 eggs. Most of these hatched 14 days later on the 2nd and 3rd of November. I had hoped to get a shot of them hatching but they seemed to do so overnight. Whether this is normal for them or just coincidence I cannot say. Certainly I've had eggs of many other species which have hatched during the day.
I've been feeding them on Eucalyptus pauciflora which is not a local species. At this stage they have shown a strong preference for young leaves.
The last time I tried to rear these I only got them to second instar before they succumbed to a fungal attack. This time I've put them in a larger rearing cage with better ventilation so hopefully I'll be successful this time round.
(Click on Photo to Enlarge)
Helena Gum Moth - Opodiphthera helena - 1st instar larvae
Takes me back to my younger days Mosura, I used to keep gum moths when I was a kid. I used to feed them on E. ficifolia leaves.
ReplyDeleteThanks Duncan - Fun for young and old as the saying goes.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the little grubs - sorry caterpillars. I imagine they will grow into large caterpillars, requiring lots of leaves, and space.
ReplyDeleteI remember Emperor Gum Moths, from my childhood in Melbourne. Presumably these will be something similar - having seen your splendid
moths.
Cheers
Denis
Thanks Denis - Yes they will become very large caterpillars. I'll feed them all just now but if I have a good survival rate I will end up releasing some of them. I have 75 last I counted.
ReplyDelete