moth question.

[Pierre Bouillon]

Hi William,

I checked the pic and although i do not know exactly the specie, i think
i'm not wrong saying it's a Saturnidae (Attacidae), close to the Philosamia
order. Unfortunately i left my whole book library in France so i cannot
tell you much more than the following about it.
-question 1: in my humble opinion and experience, pupae cannot stand an
actual freeze-out. Living cells (full of water) just explode and the
chrysalis dies. However in some cases the chitine enveloppe is thick enough
to prevent internal organs from being damaged. I even heard of some species
"needing" the freeze-out to hatch properly...In most cases the caterpillar
looks for a temperate location to pupate or dig a hole in the ground to
burry the cocoon so that it doesn't freeze.
-question 2: definitely. I experienced it many times, with butterflies as
well as with moths. Chemical mechanisms inside the chrysalis are thermally
activated and the transformation is quicker.
-question 3, as far as i know (i bred some moths of the same family), they
don't feed so i'm afraid your visitor will soon leave you...:-( . This
should also answers the second part of your Q1: i don't think they live
long enough to be able to migrate.

Hope this helps and please let me know if i was completely wrong!
Pierre.

-- 
________________
Pierre Bouillon
(Milano)
kroback at rete039.it

William L. Read <readw at medicine.wustl.edu> a écrit dans l'article
<Pine.GSO.3.96.990115135933.16280B-100000 at medicine>...
> I have a question regarding a moth.  A pic I found on the web shows the
> adult - check
> http://biodidac.bio.uottawa.ca/Thumbnails/images/LEPI011P.GIF.
> A neighbor discovered the giant green caterpillar crawling along an a
very
> hot August day (in Missouri).  We put it in a jar and it spun a cocoon.
> The adult moth emerged on 12/28/98 - a subfreezing and snowy day.  It
> would have died outside, I think.  My questions:
> 1 - was it supposed to freeze solid and thus overwinter in the cocoon? 
Or
> would it have hatched (eclosed?) earlier and migrated south in the fall?
> 2 - did the fact the cocoon was inside hasten development somehow?
> 3 - with the adult (alive as of today!) live until warmer weather?
>  
> Thank you.
> 
>