Strange looking females I got out of this brood. I don't know the reason, but none of the females I caught in the Dzalanyama Forest looked like the ones in these pictures. Wild females are more similar to a Lasiocampa quercus female, only much smaller (about half the size). Maybe it was because of the winter temperatures. I reared from January to April and even though I like my living room fairly warm (warmer then most people I know), it was still significantly below the January temperatures in Malawi, especially at night. Or maybe it was because of the alternative food plant I used. Wild igneotincta are recorded on Combretum and Terminalia (as far as those records are reliable). Of course that's not something I have growing here, so I had to search for something else. Not that easy! The caterpillars rejected everything I tried and I can assure you, I have a lot of plants, none of them worked. None, except Myrtus communis. And even Myrtus is probably not the best choice. The young caterpillars started well, but with each week passing I lost a few more, just to end up with only these two females in the pictures. What can I say? Winter rearing is not nearly as much fun as in Spring or Summer.
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| Trichopisthia igneotincta female - Origin: Malawi |
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| Trichopisthia igneotincta female - Origin: Malawi |
