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Post by Crake on Feb 24, 2021 16:00:52 GMT -8
I came across an interesting reference to blue gum eucalyptus as a possible hostplant of A. luna on Bill Oehlke's website. Has anyone experimented with A. luna larvae on eucalyptus?
Crake
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Post by kevinkk on Feb 24, 2021 18:33:57 GMT -8
That does sound interesting, I've used gunni for Actias isis and maenas, as well as Periphoba arcaei,
eucalyptus isn't mentioned in Stephen Stones' food plant guide, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.
"possible" is kind of a misleading term, either you know, or you don't, anything is "possible" even Stones
guide lists accepted foodplant- and that doesn't always mean the larva were carried to maturity.,
Like listing Douglas fir for Hyalphora euryalus.
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Post by Crake on Feb 24, 2021 19:21:54 GMT -8
That does sound interesting, I've used gunni for Actias isis and maenas, as well as Periphoba arcaei, eucalyptus isn't mentioned in Stephen Stones' food plant guide, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. "possible" is kind of a misleading term, either you know, or you don't, anything is "possible" even Stones guide lists accepted foodplant- and that doesn't always mean the larva were carried to maturity., Like listing Douglas fir for Hyalphora euryalus. I agree. Even if the larvae could feed on something as potent as eucalyptus, I suspect they would consume minimal foliage and slow their metabolisms—much like koalas—to process the glycosides in the leaves. I'd probably be left with a cohort of stunted and unhappy caterpillars. As you said—we can't know for certain, though it would be an interesting experiment. |
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Post by kevinkk on Feb 24, 2021 19:40:54 GMT -8
Exactly, I tried Eupackardia calleta ajoensis on...well, since I can't remember for certain the food plant now, lets pretend it
was ceanothus. I know it was an evergreen at any rate.
At any rate, the larva ate slowly for long enough for me to have visions of a couple dozen cocoons, then one by one expired. They never molted
into L2 as far as I know, they grew visibly larger, but nevertheless, the whole thing lasted nearly 3 weeks.
As far as eucalyptus, it is a great food plant, makes your house smell nice, lasts a long time. What I've always found when using it, the larva go
for mature leaves, right away, instead of softer,newer leaves.
Other species have done that to me as well, an alternate is just that, sometimes they work great, sometimes not. The next time I have some
luna ova, I'll try it.
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Post by bobw on Feb 25, 2021 1:27:07 GMT -8
Quite a few species that feed on Liquidambar will take Eucalyptus gunnii as an alternative.
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Post by papiliotheona on Apr 7, 2021 17:21:45 GMT -8
I tried luna on Eucalyptus the better part of a decade ago based on Oehlke's testimonials... all took a bite, and then all died.
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