Fernando
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Post by Fernando on May 31, 2011 20:02:37 GMT -8
Just out of curiosity, what lepidopter species has the most massive caterpillar?
For example, I've been told that Argema mittrei has one of the biggest caterpillars among Saturniidae. I've also been told that some Sphingidae larvae can get very long.
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Post by saturniidave on Jun 1, 2011 11:11:48 GMT -8
I would imagine that some of the Australian Cossids and Hepialids would be amongst the biggest too.
Dave
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jun 1, 2011 17:09:56 GMT -8
How big, approximately, can those get?
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Post by papilio28570 on Jun 1, 2011 20:50:47 GMT -8
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jun 1, 2011 21:06:21 GMT -8
Thanks for the link papilio28570!
I have seen some pictures of C. regalis larvae and it is huge indeed.
By the way, I read somewhere (don't recall where exactly) that an Argema mittrei L4 larvae is as big as an Attacus atlas L5 larvae. Is that right?
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Post by johnnyboy on Jun 1, 2011 23:18:46 GMT -8
Dave is right about Australian cossids. The giant wood moth Endoxyla cinereus (=Xyleutes boisduvali) is the heaviest recorded adult lepidopteran and is therefore likely to have the heaviest larva.
Johnnyboy
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xavm
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Post by xavm on Aug 12, 2011 1:14:14 GMT -8
Years ago, I bred the South American Sphingid: Pseudophinx tetrio in Brazil on Frangipani.... The larvae reached 18 cm and one 20 cm just before pupating.
Xavier
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Aug 12, 2011 6:17:57 GMT -8
20 cm  |
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Post by ladobe on Aug 31, 2011 12:33:12 GMT -8
Thysania agrippina has the greatest wing span of all lepidoptera at up to 12". A female Ornithoptera alexandrae has the greatest of the butterflies at up to 11". Attacus atlas have the largest total wing surface area.
I've heard of Pseudophinx tetrio larva reaching as much as 10", but 6"-8" would probably be more common. Kind of fits as they are thought to mimic coral snakes for protection from predators.
I've reared both, and Argema mittrei larva get up to about 6", Attacus atlas 5".
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Post by africaone on Aug 31, 2011 13:11:24 GMT -8
in term of surface I don't think that atlas is the biggest; there are other Attacus bigger and female of Coscinocera also have a big surface (a late friend, specialist in saturniid, told me he had a female of Coscinocera with the biggest known surface wing, I don't remember which sp)
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