bigmothra
New Member
Big fan of moths!
Posts: 2
Country: USA
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Post by bigmothra on Mar 10, 2020 9:50:06 GMT -8
Hi everyone! I'm brand new to raising moths, as I just took in a single Polyphemus caterpillar this past fall on a whim. Although she never spun a proper cocoon, up until now everything seemed to be going fine with her pupation. However, about a week ago when I decided to move her to a larger container, I noticed that her coloration had become very dark. She still moved a little bit in response to stimulus, but it's definitely not the strong wriggling I've seen in videos. It HAS been very dry in my house recently though, so I figured maybe she was just a bit dehydrated and made sure to keep a closer eye on the humidity of her new container. Today, when I checked in on her I noticed that there's a crack in appearing on her head, and she no longer seems to respond to stimulation, though she still feels cool and heavy in my hand. Any ideas what might be going on? Maybe I was too late in fixing the humidity issue, or did I disturb her pupa too much by moving her between containers?
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Post by kevinkk on Mar 12, 2020 8:40:30 GMT -8
Not spinning a cocoon isn't normal, of course. Humidity probably isn't an issue, many breeders have differing opinions about misting cocoons during the winter, I don't mist mine. When you think about it, a cocoon is pretty much weather proof, naked pupa that burrow are a little different, and humidity close to nature is going to be best all around. Typically when the pupa darkens it means hatching is imminent, if the pupa has a crack it may have expired during the hatching process, the larva may have not been in the best health if it didn't spin properly, although I've had the same thing happen and the moth has hatched. Moving the pupa probably didn't cause the issue. If the moth has expired it will take some time to change in weight. There is a method some use- I call it the "kiss" test, by putting the pupa on your lips you can tell the temperature much better than with the thicker skin of a hand. Consider a digital scale, inexpensive and a decisive indicator of weight, handy for sexing and checking possible weight loss that would indicate a drying pupa after expiring. When pupa that normally spin cocoons don't , or a cocoon is damaged, sometimes I wrap them in a square of bath tissue, some moths won't properly expand wings without exiting a cocoon or a facsimile. It's normal for pupa to be frisky for months sometimes after spinning, luna will wriggle right off a table after spinning for a time until they settle down preparing for winter, and some burrowing pupa will always respond to a mist of water. Keep at it, experience takes time, and we all continue to learn and be surprised by something unusual. My guess is that your pupa probably expired, the crack is a bad sign, when you look at it, you might be able to see the furry head, and if that's the case, the moth has expired.
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