Actually, I wanted to display the Automeris liberia males that hatched this week, but it turned out otherwise. It has been a busy week for me, with not enough free time left to take pictures of the first males. The last male hatched yesterday. It was the only chance I had of taking a few decent pictures. So I did what I always do and took the moth into the city park, placed it at a suitable spot and took some photos of the creature with the wings closed. So far so good. And then again I did what I always do, I gave the moth a gentle push. But instead of flashing it's hind wing eye spots, the damn creature just flew away into a forty meter tall oak tree. No way to retrieve that one. Without the hind wings - the most interesting part of an Automeris moth -to show, I've decided not to publish this male and to search for fresh stock instead and make some proper pictures as soon as I have them back.
Instead, you are now looking at Actias maenas caterpillars. I'm sure you will not mind too much. This Asian Actias species is one of the most spectacular species in the genus. And .... they are extremely easy to breed. In fact, the hardest part of breeding Actias maenas is obtaining fresh stock. Once those eggs hatch, it's all very basic. Food - clean cage - dry - warm, that's all you need to remember. The best food plants are Liquidambar and Eucalyptus, however they are fairly polyphagous. Alternatives are Castanea, Crataegus, Rhus and many more. The pupal stage will only be a couple of weeks.
 |
| Actias maenas L5 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L5 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L5 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L5 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L5 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L4 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L4 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L4 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L3 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L3 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L2 on Liquidambar |
 |
| Actias maenas L1 on Liquidambar |
