Atlas Moths

[Roger C. KENDRICK]

HI David,

In Hong Kong (sub-tropical monsoonal climate), Attacus atlas passes
through the dry season (i.e. "winter" - when it's not reaching at least
25°C by day) as a pupa. I suspect that putting eggs in a refrigerator
will kill them. The minimum temperatures typically encountered during
Hong Kong's dry season are between 8 and 10°C (45 to 50°F) - which is
warmer than most settings possible in a modern refrigerator. A.atlas does
occur further north in China (the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi,
Fujian, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi), where cooler winters bring regular
(if infrequent) dry frosts, so long term cold tolerance is probably not
one of A.atlas' ecological attributes.

hope this helps,

Roger.

David Mishko wrote:

> Does anyone know if Atticus Atlas eggs will overwinter, possibly in a
> refrigerator? Any other information on rearing these moths would be
> appreciated!

--
Roger C. KENDRICK
  Demonstrator / Ph.D. Student
  Dept. of Ecology & Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong
  mailto:kendrick at hkusua.hku.hk

Hong Kong Moths website coordinator
  http://hkusub.hku.hk/~kendrick/hkmoth.htm

HK Lepidopterists' Society Website
  http://members.xoom.com/hkls/ (English version)
  http://hklg.163.net/ (Chinese summary)