Silkmoths and more: Pachymetana horridula

I'm throwing in some extra pictures today. This is an exceptionally beautiful creature and probably the first time someone has ever reared them. These may very well be the first pictures of the early stages of the African Pachymetana horridula. So, plenty of good reasons to have a good look at this small lappet species. The slender caterpillars don't grow larger then six to seven centimeter and most of the cocoons are barely more then one to one and a half centimeter. The small size creates a problem in the first instar. Upon hatching the caterpillars are so small that they cannot bite through the tough needles of Pinus sylvestris. You can work around this by giving them either a Pinus species with very thin needles or another conifer like Picea abies. However, when given the choice older caterpillars move immediately from Picea to Pinus. I couldn't find any records of hostplants in the wild, but Pinus is in any case well accepted as substitute. It's not a fast grower. The caterpillars need approximately five months to complete their cycle. The rearing is uncomplicated in small, well ventilated plastic containers. Always keep dry. The pupal stage is short. Today, after only two weeks, the first male already emerged. It will not be long before the adults will be displayed on this blog.