Polyphemus egg depositation Question

[Martha Rosett Lutz]

Someone wrote:

"I recently captured a female Polyphemus moth.  Will this moth lay eggs even
if it has not had a chance to mate?  So far it has deposited one egg in a 24
hour period.   Is there any way of telling if it has mated?"

1)  Saturniids will generally lay eggs whether or not they have mated.
They tend to lay eggs on anything available as they age (over the course of
a few days); I have had them lay eggs on my hand, on their own abdomens,
and anything else handy or not.  These moths have no mouths as adults,
don't live long, and soon 'dump' their eggs regardless of whether or not
the eggs are fertilized.

2)  The best way to tell if the moth was mated is to wait about 10 days.
If the eggs hatch, she found a mate.  If not, you can't tell whether she
didn't mate or if something happened to the eggs.  You could dissect her
now and look for the presence of sperm in her lower abdomen, but that would
defeat the purpose if your goal is to get live larvae.

3)  Where do you live?  It's an odd time of year for a female Saturniid to
be on the wing . . .

In Stride,
Martha Rosett Lutz

a.k.a the old lady sprinter who just got back from a two-week soak in the
Atlantic Ocean, and took time out to run the 400 and 200 at the Eastern
Regional Masters Track Championships on the way home (double silver . . .no
gold . . .  oh well . . . !)



 
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