After the caterpillars hatched and began to grow, I wished I had counted the eggs; they didn’t move nearly as much as the caterpillars! While I can’t say for sure how many eggs were laid, there were around 100 caterpillars, between those I released and the ones I kept until they spun their cocoons.
As they began to grow, and eat so much that I couldn’t keep them fed throughout the day, I experimented by adding Maple leaves as a different food source. But, they didn’t touch them -- unless you count walking across them to more lilac leaves! I knew Maples were one of their preferred foods, but apparently they have (or prefer) to remain with one food source, once they’ve begun on it.
As they began to grow, and eat so much that I couldn’t keep them fed throughout the day, I experimented by adding Maple leaves as a different food source. But, they didn’t touch them -- unless you count walking across them to more lilac leaves! I knew Maples were one of their preferred foods, but apparently they have (or prefer) to remain with one food source, once they’ve begun on it.
Cecropia caterpillar (Hyalophora cecropia) molting into 2nd instar phase.
To prevent underfeeding them, I let a couple dozen at a time free into the Lilac bushes in the yard. I repeated the earlier experiment by letting one caterpillar go in a Maple tree, but after checking on it over several hours, it still hadn’t eaten anything. So I brought it over the Lilacs, too.
The cecropia larvae grow through 4 stages (or instars) between hatching and spinning their cocoon. They pupate over winter and emerge as adult moths the following summer.
Here is a brand new second instar Cecropia caterpillar just after molting. The old skin is momentarily caught on a protective spine at its back end.
The cecropia larvae grow through 4 stages (or instars) between hatching and spinning their cocoon. They pupate over winter and emerge as adult moths the following summer.
Here is a brand new second instar Cecropia caterpillar just after molting. The old skin is momentarily caught on a protective spine at its back end.
2nd instar (left) and late 1st instar Cecropia caterpillars (Hyalophora cecropia) on Lilac leaf.
For comparison, this image shows the first two stages -- a late first and early second instar.
The second instar is certainly more colorful, with stouter pedicles supporting the protective spines.
If you look closely, you can see a row white spots on both of these caterpillars' sides. These are the spiracles, where air enters into their respiratory system.
The second instar is certainly more colorful, with stouter pedicles supporting the protective spines.
If you look closely, you can see a row white spots on both of these caterpillars' sides. These are the spiracles, where air enters into their respiratory system.
Adult Cecropia moths have no mouthparts or digestive system and only live a few weeks after emerging from their cocoons.
Close up of back wing showing scales, female Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia).
While I let her go shorty after she had laid her eggs in the terrarium, she didn’t lay any more and didn’t fly off. So I brought her back inside. She died shortly afterwards, but I was able to get some close-up images showing the scales on her wings and a detailed shot of her head, showing the lack of mouth parts.
Head of female Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), showing eyes, antenna and lack of mouth parts.
My next post (the forth in this series) will show the caterpillars as they molt into their third stage. The third instar has fewer black spots, and four of the pedicles near its head grow larger and turn red.
