Fertile ova?

[Chris Conlan]

A. atlas almost always mate for at least 1 to 2 days so it's pretty hard to
miss if you are looking in on them each day.  The female will start to dump
infertile eggs after a few days if not mated so just because she laid does
not mean they are fertile.  Unfortunately, there are no easy ways to tell
early on if the eggs are fertile in this group (why can't they all be like
Automeris!).  Since atlas eggs are rather tough, it takes several days for
them to start collapsing if they are infertile.  The other option, if
curiosity is killing you, is to cut one open after about 9-10 days and check
for a developing larva.  My guess is that they are not fertile but hang onto
them for a few weeks just in case.  There is always the possibility that
something disturbed a mating pair and caused an early breakup.

Chris

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From: "Kurt Jacobs" <morphidae at earthlink.net>
To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: Fertile ova?
Date: Fri, Aug 25, 2000, 4:29 PM


I had a female atlas moth actually emerge three (3) days before a male.  I
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