Cecropia/Gloveri  Silkmoth Cross Family Saturniidae, Subfamily:  Saturniinae Hyalophora cecropia x Hyalophora gloveri Immatures Home     Butterflies - Moths   Details     Pupae

Female Cecropia on (on  left) and Male Gloveri (on right) Silk moths mating ©John Richards Ova   ©John Richards First  Instar on 21 June 2014 7 mm long 22 June 2014 -  8 mm long with brighter orange at base of spines 24 June 2014 Molted to Second Instar This one is feeding on willow June 27, 2014 - Second Instar on Choke Cherry  Becoming Paler, Greener Color Third Instar on 29 June 2014 Third Instar on 29 June 2014 Larvae began molting to Fourth Instars 2 July 2014 31 mm long Fourth Instar feeding on Chokecherry Fifth Instar 7 July 2014 Fifth Instar 10 July 2014 - 65 mm. long Fifth Instar - Close-up of Caterpillar's abdominal  prolegs  with crochets (tiny hooks) Cocoon Photo Details - ©Nicky Davis These are photos of immatures from a Hyalophora cecropia female (offspring of a raised female mated with a wild male from Oseola, Wisconsin) bred with a wild male Hyalophora gloveri from Little Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah. On June 1, 2014 John Richards brought his cecropia pupae into his home  from his garage.  He didn't mist them.  A female emerged and on 8 June 2014 he tethered the female with a thread in a breeding cage and placed her up Little Cottonwood Canyon about a mile from the mouth, on north side near the old granite sand plant.  The door of the cage was left open enough to enable entry of a male gloveri  moth and they  mated  successfully. 18 June 2014 the ova started to hatch. Some were placed on Sand Bar Willow and some on Choke Cherry.  Caterpillars on both host plants began feeding right away. June 24, 2014 - One on Willow and one on Chokecherry molted to Second Instar. The willow pupae were given to  another party to enjoy June 29, 2014 they began molting to third Instars July 2, 2014 they began molting to fourth instar July 7, 2014  they began molting to fifth instar, 3 more molted to 5th instar on the July 8, 2014 July 11, 2014  #1 caterpillar that molted to fifth Instar on July 7th measured 74 mm long. Caterpillars were about 90 mm long just before they stopped feeding and expelled liquid. They spent 7 to 9 days as 5th instar before expelling excess liquid.  They then began spinning a cocoon which took about a day. Host Plant Black Chokecherry - Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa Others are being reared on Sand Bar Willow