harry eales
Ancient Entomologist
Over the past half century, I have bred innumerable specimens of the Elephant Hawk Moth, usually gathered in the nearly fully grown larval state. All of these that I have found have been of the brown form, although a green form of the larva is known to exist.
On checking the records of Elephant Hawk larva found in Northumberland and Durham from all sources I found that the green forn of larva had only been recorded once, since records began in 1745.
Last month I trapped a female of this species and on examining the contents of my moth trap I noticed a single Hawkmoth ova laid on egg packing material. I confined this female Elephant Hawkmoth in a sleeve over some rather stunted Willowherb that was growing in a discarded bucket containing a fair amount of compost. Although she was fed twice a day with a sugar/water mixture the female expired two days later. (Shes very worn when captured). On examining the Willowherb, I noted that she had laid several more ova.
Earlier this evening whilst examining my livestock I noted that most of the leaves of the Willowherb had been devoured and therefore I opened the sleeve and removed a total of 22 larva and put them onto fresh foodplant. Of these 22 larva only 3 were of the usual dark (brown) colour form, the remainder, were all of the green form. At present none of these larva are more than an inch and quarter long and will need feeding for several more weeks to become fully grown and ready to pupate. It will be interesting to note if there is a colour change in the larva as they grow and moult, or whether they stay the same colour.
When they are larger I will photograph them and post the pictures here. I must admit the green form is rather odd looking, but then I haven't seen it before. The three Brown forms, are the largest of all the larva and appear to have gone through one more moult than those of the green form. I'll keep you posted as to what happens during the next few weeks.
The speed at which some larva develope is truely amazing, out of some twenty larva of Poplar Hawkmoth I have, that all hatched the same day, three have already pupated, whilst the remainder are hardly half grown, yet they have all been given the same amount of fresh foodplant each day, and kept under identical conditions.
Harry
On checking the records of Elephant Hawk larva found in Northumberland and Durham from all sources I found that the green forn of larva had only been recorded once, since records began in 1745.
Last month I trapped a female of this species and on examining the contents of my moth trap I noticed a single Hawkmoth ova laid on egg packing material. I confined this female Elephant Hawkmoth in a sleeve over some rather stunted Willowherb that was growing in a discarded bucket containing a fair amount of compost. Although she was fed twice a day with a sugar/water mixture the female expired two days later. (Shes very worn when captured). On examining the Willowherb, I noted that she had laid several more ova.
Earlier this evening whilst examining my livestock I noted that most of the leaves of the Willowherb had been devoured and therefore I opened the sleeve and removed a total of 22 larva and put them onto fresh foodplant. Of these 22 larva only 3 were of the usual dark (brown) colour form, the remainder, were all of the green form. At present none of these larva are more than an inch and quarter long and will need feeding for several more weeks to become fully grown and ready to pupate. It will be interesting to note if there is a colour change in the larva as they grow and moult, or whether they stay the same colour.
When they are larger I will photograph them and post the pictures here. I must admit the green form is rather odd looking, but then I haven't seen it before. The three Brown forms, are the largest of all the larva and appear to have gone through one more moult than those of the green form. I'll keep you posted as to what happens during the next few weeks.
The speed at which some larva develope is truely amazing, out of some twenty larva of Poplar Hawkmoth I have, that all hatched the same day, three have already pupated, whilst the remainder are hardly half grown, yet they have all been given the same amount of fresh foodplant each day, and kept under identical conditions.
Harry
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