Silkmoths and more: Palirisa cervina formosana

Never again! If the larvae weren't so pretty, I probably would have killed them months ago. That's right: months ago. The growth of this Asian Monkey Moth species (Eupterotidae) is extremely slow. The eggs hatched early May. They go through the first four instars quite fast (just a couple of weeks), but then they slow down. Once they've reached the fifth instar the appearance changes little, they just get bigger. I'm not sure how many instars there are. That's the problem with species growing this slow, you loose count. The caterpillars don't make it any easier. Almost all of them grow at a different pace. The first started spinning a cocoon at the end of August, while the slowest will need at least one more month, maybe even two. That's not a problem. Although I have a group on Prunus avium and one on Alnus glutinosa and the leaves of both plants will start to drop in a couple of weeks, they easily switch to Rubus fruticosus (my third group) which is almost entirely evergreen. This is an easy species to grow. Keep them in well ventilated plastic containers and make sure everything stays dry and clean. Do not overcrowd. An average room temperature and ambient humidity is fine. Because this is a somewhat less well known species, I've included a picture of the cocoon they make. Be careful while handling those. The hairs of the caterpillars are woven into the fabric on the outside and will stick into your skin when touching. These cocoons will now overwinter in an unheated but frost free room.