First she spun a silk casing around herself that was firmly attached to the tree. This is called a cocoon. She can spin silk because she is a silkmoth , a member of the Saturniidae family. Inside this protective layer she spun another silky enclosure around herself. Between the two layer she made a wispy silk stuffing to insulate her during the long winter ahead.
Layers inside a Cecropia Moth cocoon Photo taken after moth had already emerged. The cecropia moth pupa rests inside the inner casing of the cocoon. Photo taken after moth had left the cocoon. After about 10 days inside this cozy bed, probably some time in early August , she shed her caterpillar skin one last time, and emerged as a pupa , a tight little package where her body undergoes a radical transformation.
Photo of the female Cecropia Moth Pupa casing. Adult moth body parts are visible in the skin casing of the pupa! For the next ten months she waited in her cocoon. Camouflage is important at this stage to protect her from predators.
Gray Squirrels will commonly hunt for the pupae of the giant silkworm moths the Saturniidae and according to one study they seem to be able to tell the difference between living and dead pupae. A very cold winter passed by with many freezing nights. In spring, some ivy grew up around her but she remained safe inside. When the days began to get hot in May her transformation to an adult moth was coming to an end. A month later in early June , after several days of heavy rain, the time was right to emerge.
On June 9th , early in the morning before sunrise, she began to push her way out of the outer skin of her pupa stage. This is called eclosion. She squeezed through the tiny opening, pulled herself free, and emerged as a beautiful adult moth. She climbed up the rough bark a few inches and began to pump fluid into her wings to expand them. Several hours later they had almost reached their full magnificent size, but they were still a little wrinkly.
The cecropia moth has emerged! Notice her wings are still a little wrinkly. As soon as I got a close look at her I knew she was a female because of her relatively thin antenna, and her large abdomen. Males have wider, feathery antenna see how to tell the difference in next section. Over the next few hours she stayed in the same spot and her wings continued to flatten out. A closer look at the female cecropia moth antennae.
It was so awesome to get a close-up look at this giant insect. The colors and patterns on her huge wings were impressive. But I think the most surprising thing is her body. Those huge furry red legs look like they would be more at home on a tarantula than on a moth! The amazing, huge furry abdomen of the female cecropia moth, full of eggs! As an adult female cecropia moth, her only goal now is to mate and lay eggs. So how do they do it? The female basically holds still and sends out powerful chemical signals overnight called pheromones.
The male detects them with his large antenna over vast distances some say over a mile, though this is difficult to prove scientifically and usually finds her just before sunrise. Cecropia moths have no functional mouthparts or digestive tracts! They cannot eat! They must survive off of energy stored up from the caterpillar stage almost a year earlier! Time is of the essence here. So I checked on her throughout the rest of the day while her wings hardened.
As the sun began to set I knew she was about to start pumping out pheromones to attract a mate. Good luck beautiful moth! By the end of the day her wings had flattened and she was ready to start broadcasting pheromones! How could a male fly in this weather, let alone detect pheromones across huge distances? But still I dragged myself out of bed around 8am to take a peek.
And there he was. The two were snuggled side by side on the rough bark of the cherry tree, the ends of their abdomens stuck together. It worked!
Our female cecropia moth had found a mate! It seemed like a miracle. I was ecstatic! Our cecropia moth found a mate! Male and female mating at in the morning.
Now I had a chance to observe the differences between a male and a female cecropia moth. The first obvious difference was the antennae. Males have large, feathery-looking antennae that are used for detecting the pheromones of the female. The cecropia cocoon is crescent shaped and is attached to a tree branch. There is one generation of cecropia born each year.
Behavior The cecropia moth is mostly nocturnal and is rarely seen in the day. Cecropia Moth - Hyalophora cecropia. Characteristics The cecropia moth is the largest North American moth.
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Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. Cecropia Moth. Classification: Invertebrate. Description Cecropia moths are beautiful silk moths with reddish bodies and black to brown wings surrounded by bands of white, red, and tan.
Range These nocturnal moths are found in hardwood forests east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. Diet Caterpillars feed on leaves throughout the summer. Life History In order to find a mate, male cecropia moths must have extraordinary senses.
Conservation This species is stable. Fun Fact Bolas spiders are able to mimic the pheromones produced by insects like the cecropia moth. Sources Evans, A.
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