Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jan 4, 2012 19:25:49 GMT -8
Some of my specimens of Eupackardia calleta emerged some days ago, so I paired them and stored the fertile ova in one of those 7 day pill boxes (but I left it open, not closed). Today I was at the computer when I heard a very quiet noise. I looked at the pill box immediately after that and noticed that one of the eggs was outside of the box. I mean, several centimeters away of it. I took the egg, and put it back into the box. After a few minutes, I was coincidentally looking at the box and saw an egg literally JUMPING out of the box. A few seconds later, another one jumped out! Then I decided to close the box, and I still can hear them jumping inside now and then. So, the obvious question is: is this normal?  This is a picture of the pillbox, so you can make yourselves an idea:  |
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jan 8, 2012 7:04:59 GMT -8
Anyone? The eggs stopped "jumping", but I'm still curious about what could cause so.
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Post by bluemoth on Jan 8, 2012 12:37:59 GMT -8
My only guess is a sudden movment of the forming larva inside. I have reared a veriety of silk moths and never had any of my loose eggs jump.
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jan 10, 2012 3:54:15 GMT -8
I thought the same, but just like you, it never happened to me before.
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Post by oehlkew on Jan 10, 2012 13:32:30 GMT -8
Put a lid on the container and see if any small parasitic flies emerge. Possibly during their emergence and flight they were lifting the very light weighted egg shells. That is about the only thing I can think of. Yes, there are parasites which oviposit and emerge from moth eggs.
Bill Oehlke
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jan 13, 2012 18:17:19 GMT -8
Dear Bill,
The caterpillars alreadu started to hatch; no parasits so far.
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Post by africaone on Jan 14, 2012 3:06:39 GMT -8
may be a physical contraction / dilatation of the eggs that cause this jump due to how they are disposed and the place available. a kind of elastic effect released by energy accumulateded by the eggs shells when they are cramed by dilatation.
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Fernando
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Post by Fernando on Jan 16, 2012 5:33:54 GMT -8
may be a physical contraction / dilatation of the eggs that cause this jump due to how they are disposed and the place available. a kind of elastic effect released by energy accumulateded by the eggs shells when they are cramed by dilatation. That's a good theory! But, why haven't that happened to me (or even any of you) before? |
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Post by africaone on Jan 16, 2012 5:40:30 GMT -8
as this need a lot of parameters and circumstance, may be hard to obtain.
The eggs are usually glued to a support. Here they need to be free and were enclosed in a "special" box that favorises the phenomenon.
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