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Post by trehopr1 on Sept 17, 2021 11:55:58 GMT -8
Just wondering here how many of my fellow North American collectors encounter Arctia caja as a species.
Looking at range maps it seems to have a very limited presence here in the US.
This is my favorite Arctiid species overall. I've managed about a dozen specimens for my collection from parts of Europe but, none from North America.
Grammie Virgo runs a very close second for its beautiful markings/colors. It seems to be rather localized in its distribution in my area; thus I have only encountered it twice over my years...
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Post by exoticimports on Sept 17, 2021 14:57:00 GMT -8
Never seen one, EXCEPT I put a 18w UV up while camping in Catskills and about 40 came in.
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Post by 58chevy on Sept 17, 2021 15:59:30 GMT -8
Very nice species. I've seen them for sale in the Insectnet classifieds before. I think one of our forum members, Boghaunter, gets those in Canada. I have some pictures of some great A. caja aberrations from the collection of Clive Pratt. If anyone wants to see them, I'll have to email them to you and you can post them here.
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mikeh
Full Member
Posts: 207
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Post by mikeh on Sept 17, 2021 16:58:12 GMT -8
I took some at the gas station lights in Mountain View Wyoming as a teenager and last year there were tons of Larva on a ridge near the Gooseberry Campground in Central Utah. Seems like a very local species here.
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Post by kevinkk on Sept 17, 2021 17:13:54 GMT -8
Probably one of those "locally common" species, I've only captured a few, many years ago, here in Oregon in the Willamette Valley, and several
years ago, I found one here in Lincoln City when I was doing roof repair on a local motel, I don't even know if I'd have seen it, except for
2 guys that walked below the roof into the motel, and said "look at that beautiful butterfly" I thought "first, that's a moth" and second-
"I've got to catch this thing before it flies off". It's now in my collection.
Maybe there is a breeding population down the road from my house where the motel is, maybe not, I've never seen another, and there's a vacant
lot next door with potential food plant, it's as much a mystery as the Hyles lineata I captured here one week in very early spring, I captured
several nectaring at our flowers, and have never seen another since.
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Post by trehopr1 on Sept 17, 2021 18:45:52 GMT -8
58 Chevy, please feel free to email your photos and I will be happy to post them here for the benefit of everyone who enjoys this species...
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Post by Paul K on Sept 17, 2021 20:34:21 GMT -8
In Poland back in ‘80 Arctia caja was a very common species and I always saw them coming to the lights. I still have one specimen in my collection from Wroclaw, Poland.
In Canada I actually collected one specimen this year in begin of August about 300 km North of Toronto. I have never encountered one before and I kept it even it is A- specimen. It is on spreading board now and I can post photos when off.
It is very interesting moth. When disturb it rises the scales/hair on its thorax and shows two glowing green lights/dots which look like green eyes. I suppose it must works for some predators to scare them away.
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Post by trehopr1 on Sept 17, 2021 21:25:42 GMT -8
Good to hear from you Paul !
I was fairly certain we would hear from you because the moth is definitely present in Canada.
Look forward to seeing your capture...
That is fascinating behavior indeed to report because I have never seen the species alive.
I have read though that some species of Arctiid moths exhibit or incorporate "death feigning" techniques as a masquerade defense against would be predators.
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Post by nomihoudai on Sept 17, 2021 21:32:04 GMT -8
I have never caught one, but my cat in Luxembourg would find them and bring them inside the house. I had a specimen in my collection labeled with the cat as the collector.
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Post by yorky on Sept 18, 2021 5:32:21 GMT -8
When I was a child it was seen resting on almost every path in hot early morning sunshine, in the 1970's it was one of the most common moths around. In the 1990's the only chance you were going to get of seeing one was to obtain bred stock. Today in the North of the UK you have more chance of seeing Moses on a motorbike than a wild garden tiger.
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Post by wollastoni on Sept 18, 2021 6:23:37 GMT -8
In Brittany (NW France), I have seen about 100 caterpillars of them in end August, early September... but I never see any imago.
A wonderful species for sure.
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Post by wollastoni on Sept 18, 2021 6:28:09 GMT -8
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Post by yorky on Sept 18, 2021 10:23:37 GMT -8
Abberations are now bred en mass and are readily available on ebay, for a fee.
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Post by 58chevy on Sept 18, 2021 11:24:45 GMT -8
Trehopr, the pictures I have of Clive Pratt's collection were taken from the above link provided by wollastoni.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2021 7:28:55 GMT -8
I caught all 8 of mine in NW Wisconsin in a single night many years ago. They were on the lighted billboards of the county hwys and since that magical night, I’ve not seen a one.
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