#Hyalophora cecropia

[thedawner]

Gunpowder.

This was a loose portrait for LittleNuibea on Twitter!

[pallanophblargh]

I’m so blessed to meet this little lady, the first of my 7 cecropia caterpillars from last summer to emerge. I wasn’t counting on her to come so early! I’m hoping to find her a mate, but I don’t know how good her odds are in this neck of the woods. I found her mother in the suburbs about 5-7 miles from here, so I don’t know how many cecropia find their way close to the urban (but still residential) core.

For those wondering: she is every bit as soft as she looks and she sounds like a bird when she beats her wings. Also she has a strong smell; kinda like musty chocolate and old leaves.

If I am fortunate to get fertilized eggs out of this group, I would love to raise the next generation of caterpillars. They have brought me so much joy and I missed them so much during their long pupation.

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

These chonkbeasts. Will. Not. Stop. Eating.

[tenderanarchist]

Tried pinning these cecropia moths…

[heartnosekid]

bewitchedoddities_ on ig

[woodsy-hoe]

made a friend yesterday :-)

[paledoptera]

draw a moth every day challenge new moth today!! a cecropia moth. gonna try out some different species over the next couple days (daily moth doodle 17/366)

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Cecropia Moth

Hyalophora cecropia

The cecropia moth is a member of the family Saturniidae or the family of giant silk moths. This species was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. This moths gets its name from the mythological kind of Athens, Cecrops I.

Description The cecropia moth’s wings are brown or black with crescent spots which are white in the center and then fade to red then black. They are larger on the hindwings. All the wings also have a white stripe followed by a red one and then frilled white patterns and white and grey edges. The forewings have a black eyespt on the upper corners. The moth’s head and back are red with a white band and dark antennae. The body is hairy with red legs, a white upper body, and an alternating red and white abdomen.

Average wingspan: 15.24 cm (6 in)

Diet and Habitat Caterpillars eat trees and shrubs such as wild cherry, plum, maple, willow, boxelder, apple, crabapple, and lilac, to name a few. Adult moths have no mouths and do not feed. These moths can be found east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. Their range goes west to Washington and north into the majority of Canadian provinces. They prefer hardwood forests and are most commonly found on maple, cherry, and birch trees.

Mating Mating season for this moth is late May or June. The females release pheromones which the males detect with their antennae. They can detect up to a mile away but can fly up to 7 miles during their search. The mating usually begins early in the morning and lasts until the evening. These moths are univoltine, meaning they have only one generation per year.

Predators This species is parasitized by some species of wasps and flies, especially the Compsilura concinnata, who lay their eggs in or on the caterpillars. Other threats are squirrels, loss of habitat, and outdoor lights.

Fun Fact The cecropia moth is North America's largest native moth

(Source: Wikipedia; Iowa State University, Horticulture and Home Peat News; National Wildlife Federation; Prairie Haven; AZ Animals)

[mentallyshattered]

Does anyone else love moths? Specifically Cecropia moths, the largest moth species native to North America? They're my favorite kind :D /pos

[banecraft]

Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) by S.A. Lawless (me), 2023.

Love these chonky lunar beauties 🖤

[pallanophblargh]

Wrangling the Children onto some fresh leaves. The Cecropia Kids are over 40 days old and still growing, and I’m starting to worry they won’t pupate in before I leave on vacation . Granted, I’m sure everything will be ok but it’s in my nature to worry over multi-legged invertebrate children. I just love larvae.

(Forgive the frass, I cleaned it out shortly after getting all the cats onto fresh food)

[la-creatura3621]

finally finished drawing a moth thats been in my sketchbook for some time, now with updated pic and better lighting

[sorcadh]

Hyalophora Cecropia

https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/moth2/cecropia_moth.htm

Adults are occasionally seen attracted to lights during spring and early summer, a common habit of many moths. It is unclear exactly why these insects visit lights, although a number of theories exist. One such theory posits that artificial lights interfere with the moths' internal navigational equipment. Moths, and indeed many other night-flying insects, use light from the moon to find their way in the dark of night. Since the moon is effectively at optical infinity, its distant rays enter the moth's eye in parallel, making it an extremely useful navigational tool. A moth is confused as it approaches an artificial point source of light, such as a street lamp, and may often fly in circles in a constant attempt to maintain a direct flight path.

The range of Hyalophora cecropia is from Nova Scotia in eastern Canada and Maine south to Florida, and west to the Canadian and U.S. Rocky Mountains.

Larvae: There are typically five larval instars, each lasting approximately one week. First instar larvae are black and feed gregariously.

First instar larvae of the cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia

Fifth instar larva of the cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia

[lilafeuer]

Hyalophora cecropia, alternatively known as the Cecropia moth, is North America’s largest native moth species, and are a member to the family Saturniidae, or giant silk moths. The females of these beautiful creatures have a wingspan of up to seven inches or more. Typically found during the spring or summer, perched on a maple or birch tree. Unlike most other caterpillars with bristles, the larval stage of this moth lacks venom. Like several other species, the Cecropia moth is born without a mouth and thus unable to feed, as such they have a short adult life of ten days or two weeks at most.

[sunnydoodlebop]

Moths are neat