31 de maio de 2023

Spanish Translation of Limacodidae Rearing Techniques From Eggs laid on Plastic or Leaves

CRÍA DE LIMACÓDIDOS A PARTIR DE HUEVOS EN RECIPIENTES PLÁSTICOS O EN HOJAS
Por Marc Epstein
Traducido por Andrea C. Jiménez-Bolívar
Prólogo
Este enlace muestra a una hembra de Thosea poniendo un par de huevos en plástico:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/45673144
Aunque en un entorno no natural, muestra cómo estas polillas tienden a posarse en superficies
lisas. Las ventajas de que pongan sus huevos sobre plástico en lugar de la superficie de una hoja
en nuestros intentos de criar las orugas son múltiples. Por un lado, una hoja tiende a secarse o
enmohecerse durante el período de gestación, a menudo de 7 días, hasta la eclosión. Además, a
través del plástico, con la ayuda de una lupa de mano, se pueden observar los embriones
mientras se desarrollan. Esto no sólo es fascinante de observar, sino que también es práctico, ya
que te permite saber cuándo eclosionará el huevo.
La cría de limacódidos a partir de huevos obtenidos de hembras capturadas en trampas de luz
tiene la ventaja de poder identificar la especie a partir de un adulto, ya que las larvas suelen morir.
Notarás que en iNaturalist se pueden observar con frecuencia todos estos "aliens"
desconocidos, así qué, ¡tener la polilla adulta primero ayuda mucho!
Reconocimiento de las hembras: aparte de las especies del género Perola en el Neotrópico y
Taeda en África, no conozco ningún ejemplo de hembras con antenas bipectinadas
completamente o solo en la base de la antena, lo que sí es común en los machos, sobre todo en
los que tienen orugas espinosas (y urticantes). Sin embargo, hay muchos limacódidos que tienen
antenas filiformes (en forma de hilo), así que otra cosa en la que hay que fijarse para determinar
el sexo es el abdomen. Muchos machos levantan el abdomen por encima del cuerpo cuando
están en reposo. Las hembras suelen tener un abdomen más redondo y pesado, ya que están
cargando los huevos. Además, su vuelo hacia una trampa de luz tiende a ser menos activo. Como
muchas polillas, las hembras son menos abundantes en las trampas de luz, aunque en las
especies con machos de alas claras puede suceder lo contrario, dado que los machos de alas
claras probablemente vuelan durante el día o poco después de la puesta de sol o antes del
amanecer.
Las principales dificultades de la cría a partir de huevos son que las hembras son más difíciles de
encontrar en las luces (yo prefiero bombillas de vapor de mercurio), a veces se obtienen hembras
no apareadas o que no ovipositan, y además toca adivinar la planta alimenticia adecuada para las
especies cuya alimentación no ha sido reportada actualmente. Criar limacódidos sin conocer la
planta alimenticia no es tan difícil como otros grupos de polillas debido a la polifagia de varias
especies. Sin embargo, en las especies que no se han criado, aconsejo que se prueben las plantas
huésped registradas para muchos limacódidos. Las hojas de Prunus o de rosales (como el ciruelo,
cerezo y almendro), por ejemplo, suelen ser buenas plantas, o aquellas en las que haya
encontrado limacódidos en su zona.

Paso a Paso: cuando capture una hembra, colóquela en un recipiente de plástico y póngala en un
lugar oscuro. Los limacódidos suelen poner los huevos en la superficie más lisa disponible, por lo
que a menudo los pondrán en los lados de un recipiente. Es importante evitar que las escamas
de las hembras lleguen a los huevos porque pueden favorecer la aparición de moho. Una forma
de evitarlo es colocando las hembras en varios recipientes diferentes o eliminando las escamas
entre los huevos con un pincel/cepillo fino después de haber trasladado la hembra. El plástico
también tiene la ventaja de poder sacar grupos de huevos para colocarlos en recipientes más
pequeños. Un recipiente de plástico fino y transparente tiene la ventaja de poder recortar
posteriormente grupos de huevos y poder observar el desarrollo de los embriones. A menudo se
puede estimar en un día cuándo se producirá la eclosión por el hecho de que el embrión llene el
espacio del huevo, la ausencia de yema y el buen desarrollo de stemmata y mandíbula. Rociar
agua a los huevos también es importante para evitar la desecación, aunque hay que tener
cuidado de que los huevos se sequen al aire antes de volver a tapar el recipiente. Supongo que
su localidad es muy húmeda, pero aun así aconsejo un poco de este riego para asegurarse de que
las escamas de la madre se eliminan de los huevos (puede cepillar cuidadosamente estas
escamas, pero estos huevos son muy frágiles, por lo que se necesita mucho cuidado bajo un
microscopio estereoscópico). Alternativamente, la hembra puede ser colocada en una jaula más
grande con una planta en maceta, o con hojas con pecíolos en un recogedor de plantas para
evitar que la hoja y los huevos se sequen.
Tras la eclosión de los huevos, los géneros con orugas como “gelatinas lisas” en los últimos
instars (= estadios) tienden a alimentarse en los primeros instars (por ejemplo: Cheromettia,
Belippa, Narosa). Es especialmente importante colocar con delicadeza las larvas recién
eclosionadas que están sobre el plástico en las plantas de alimentación con pequeños
pinceles/cepillos (preferiblemente aquellos de pelo de camello), ya que tendrán dificultad para
arrastrarse del plástico a las hojas hospederas de las que se alimentarán. Por otra parte, las larvas
espinosas (Parasa, Thosea, Scopelodes, Miresa, etc.) no se alimentan en el primer instar y vuelven
a mudar al cabo de uno o dos días, por lo que no es necesario trasladarlas del plástico a la planta
inmediatamente. También hay que cambiar las hojas y los excrementos (= frass) cada día por
medio para evitar el moho.
Como alternativa, si conoce la planta alimenticia, puede embolsar la polilla en una planta con una
red de malla fina. Esto tiene la ventaja de que la planta huésped no se seca ni se enmohece y de
no tener que transferir las larvas a las hojas cuando se limpian los recipientes, especialmente en
los primeros instares.
En todos los casos, una vez que la hembra haya terminado la puesta, asegúrese de guardar el
espécimen como ejemplar para colección de museo. Por supuesto, también será importante
marcar con una etiqueta las larvas que se están criando.
La cría de larvas de limacódidos encontradas en la naturaleza, en lugar de a partir de huevos
puestos en un contenedor, tiene la ventaja de conocer la verdadera planta hospedera, lo que
tiene una mayor probabilidad de éxito en la cría. Aunque para muchas especies esto no es
esencial, ya que muchas especies son muy polífagas, conocer las plantas huésped y encontrar
nuevas contribuye a nuestro conocimiento científico de las plantas hospederas/nutricias y ayuda
a encontrar más larvas en el futuro. Esto último se vuelve más importante porque a menudo se

trata de criar moscas o avispas parasitoides, especialmente cuando se encuentra una larva de
último estadio. Por supuesto, también querrá guardar las moscas y avispas para que las
identifiquen los expertos.
Tanto si la cría se realiza a partir de huevos como de larvas, si se mantienen las larvas en un
pequeño recipiente con plantas huésped, las siguientes son sugerencias para una cría
satisfactoria. 1) Los primeros estadios se conservan mejor en recipientes de paredes duras que
en bolsas de plástico. 2) Es importante evitar la condensación, ya que los primeros estadios
pueden ahogarse con facilidad; sin embargo, si se mantienen demasiado secos, se desecarán con
la planta de alimentación. 3) Si las larvas se alejan del hospedador y se dirigen a un lado del
recipiente, se pueden volver a mover con un pincel/cepillo de pelo de camello, pero hay que tener
mucho cuidado.
Es importante fotografiar las larvas, tanto si se encuentran en la naturaleza como si se obtienen
de los huevos de una hembra. En el primer caso, es bastante frecuente que las larvas estén
parasitadas por una mosca o una avispa. Una fotografía de referencia permitirá una mejor
identificación en un momento posterior, cuando se descubra la identidad de la larva. Además,
las larvas que parecen ser familiares pueden resultar ser especies o géneros estrechamente
relacionados que no se conocen actualmente.
Cuando se consigue obtener un gran número de larvas, es importante, siempre que sea posible,
conservar un ejemplar de cada instar o estadio, especialmente en el caso de las especies que no
se han criado previamente. Esto puede hacerse colocando las larvas en agua hervida durante dos
minutos y luego transfiriendo el espécimen a ETOH al 70% (el mismo alcohol etílico de farmacia).
Si se trata de un instar tardío, el líquido debe cambiarse en los días siguientes. Estos especímenes
larvarios pueden servir para describir el ciclo vital y ser útiles para determinar la relación de la
especie o el género con otros. Un último comentario: además de guardar los distintos estadios
larvarios en etanol (los que sean más viejos, por favor, hiérvalos en agua durante un minuto antes
de ponerlos en el etanol al 70%), por favor, guarde los capullos y las pieles asociadas a ellos
(puede hacerlo en frascos secos). En todos los casos, asegúrese de que los números de las
etiquetas coincidan con la etiqueta de la hembra adulta que puso los huevos. Muchos
limacódidos se comen las pieles de sus larvas cuando mudan (a menudo al menos 8 veces), pero
si no lo hacen, guarde también las pieles en etanol.
Además, si bien no conozco ninguna especie con larvas espinosas que coma cuando sale por
primera vez del huevo, por favor, haga una nota sobre este comportamiento de ayuno. Quizás
encuentre una excepción a la regla.
Ahora espero no haberte desanimado del todo. Este es realmente uno de los grupos de polillas
más sorprendentes debido a sus increíbles orugas. El conocimiento detallado de los distintos
estadios o instars, sobre todo de la 1a, 2a y última, es especialmente importante para entender
cómo existen formas tan diversas dentro de un mismo grupo de lepidópteros. En efecto, se trata
de un grupo en el que la ontogenia recapitula la filogenia: si se conoce la ontogenia, se conoce
la evolución. No siempre es así, pero en esta familia estoy convencido, por las evidencias que he
visto. Montones de evidencias.

Mayo 22, 2020.

Posted on 31 de maio de 2023, 04:01 PM by marcepstein marcepstein | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

27 de setembro de 2021

Rearing Limacodidae caterpillars that you find on the ground

Just a note to those that find limacodid caterpillars on the ground and may be concerned about finding the right plants to feed them.

Finding a caterpillar like this often means that it is a fully grown instar looking for a place to make a cocoon (pupation takes place later inside the cocoon). In other words - easier to raise it to adult!!!!

This observation https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/96306931 is a classic example of what we are seeing a lot of lately on iNaturalist.

If you see one like this put it in a container with some dry leaves and gravel. I also recommend a few fresh leaves as well if there is a tree in the near vicinity that looks like the caterpillar make have been blown off. The tree should have smooth (not hairy) and tough leaves.

This hedges our bets because it can possibly provide food if it is a lost caterpillar looking for plants, or you can provide a site for it to build a cocoon in the bottom of the container.

@kitlaw @ivonnegarzon @lbmicheels @gafischer @franko @suncana @cheryl394 @franzanth @silviakirkman @drewwalky @k8thegr8 @jlill @mothmancorrie @tcooley @magrietb @lilianapradalara @big-simonchan @rossycastaneda1 @andreacjimenez @diohio1 @onidiras @hkmoths @ashleybosarge @ivijayanand @krancmm @kozue @ritafoo @kim_fleming @ericvandenberghe @danielmesa1 @stuartmarcus @gancw1 @catalinatong @heimatlos @stevendaniel @rimba @kitlaw @kt_ton @pwilson06 @gerryvantonder @stefaneakame @magdastlucia @gasperinbio @ygurjar @martinlagerwey @airhead147 @hive @ku6777 @portioid @c_hutton @subbi @mickdrews @rogerriodias @seventeennature

Posted on 27 de setembro de 2021, 08:08 PM by marcepstein marcepstein | 19 comentários | Deixar um comentário

09 de agosto de 2021

Use of species complexes in iNaturalist and the leveling off of species observed in iNat

@claudioflamigni Can we create a Parasa pastoralis complex like we did with Euclea cippus and Natada fusca? I do think that we will have many of these complexes on iNaturalist until specimens can be obtained from matching locations. This is why I use the "Faux Specimens" method (see: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/marcepstein) and the reason that the species total of Limacodidae on iNaturalist is leveling off to near 500. In specimen based research we are getting close to 1900 known species of Limacodidae, but many cannot be differentiated from photographs. In the meantime, if "species complex" is the closest level of confidence, we should use it. That way we have book marked these observations for future revisions where we can confidently match species with observations. Otherwise, placement in a genus or subfamily can hide these examples.

Perhaps we can assign "morpho species #s" to some of the unknown caterpillars or moths as a way to associate them in ways other than linking observations, or perhaps there is already a way to do this?

@hkmoths @alexey_solovyev @limacodidae @ivijayanand @lbmicheels @tannermatson @kyhlaustin @gafischer @suncana @k8thegr8

Posted on 09 de agosto de 2021, 04:21 PM by marcepstein marcepstein | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

22 de maio de 2020

Rearing limacodids from eggs in plastic containers or on leaves

Prologue

This link shows a female Thosea laying a couple of eggs on plastic.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/45673144

Although in an unnatural setting, it shows how these moths tend to lay on smooth surfaces. The advantage to them laying on plastic rather than on a leaf in our attempts to raise caterpillars are multiple. For one, a leaf tends to dry or mold during the often 7 day gestation period until hatching. Also, through the plastic with the add of a hand lens you can watch the embryos as they develop. Not only is this fascinating to observe, but it is practical as well, as it gives you a heads up on when the egg will hatch.

Rearing limacodids from eggs obtained from females captured at lights has the advantage of being able to identify the species from an adult, since larvae often die. You'll note all these 'UFOs' in Inaturalist and other websites. Having the moth first really helps!

Recognizing females: Other than Perola in the Neotropics and Taeda in Africa, I don't know of any examples of females with bi-pectinate antenna for the length or base of the antenna, common in males, particularly those with nettle caterpillars. However, there are many limacodids that have filiform (threadlike antennae), so another thing to look for in determining the sex is the abdomen. Many males raise the abdomen above the body when at rest. Females tend to have rounder and heavier abdomens, as the are gravid. Also, their flight at an illuminated sheet tends to be less active. Like many moths the females are less abundant at lights, though species with clear winged males can be the opposite, given that clear winged males probably fly either during the day or soon after sunset or before sunrise.

The major difficulties in rearing from eggs are that females are more difficult to find at lights (I prefer mercury vapor), occasionally you get unmated females or those that will not oviposit, and having to guess at suitable food plant for species whose food has not been presently reported. Rearing limacodids without knowing the food plant is not as difficult as some other moth groups owing to the polyphagy of a number of species. In species that have not been reared, however, I advise that you try hostplants recorded for many limacodids. Leaves from Prunus or rose bushes, for example, are often good plants, or those that you have found limacodids on in your area.

When capturing a female, place it in plastic container and put it in a dark place. Limacodids will often lay eggs on the smoothest available surface, thus they often will lay them on the sides of a container. It is important to keep scales from female from getting on eggs because they can promote mold. One way that this can be prevented is by placing female in several different containers or by removing the scales between the eggs with a fine brush after the female has been moved. The plastic also has the advantage of being able to cut out groups of eggs to be placed in smaller containers. A container made of clear thin plastic has advantage of later being able to cut out groups of eggs and being able to observe the development of the embryos. It can often be estimated within a day when hatching will occur the embryo filling the space in the egg, the absence of yolk and the well developed stemmata and mandible. Watering the eggs is also important in preventing desiccation, though care should be taken to be sure the eggs air dry before recapping the container. I presume your area in Assam is very humid, but I still advise a little of this watering to insure that scales from the mother are removed from the eggs (you can carefully brush off these scales, but these eggs are very fragile, so great care under a stereo microscope is needed). Alternatively, the female can be placed in a larger cage with a potted plant or with leaves with petioles in a plant pick to keep the leaf and the eggs from desiccating.
After the eggs hatch, in genera with smooth gelatines in later instars tend to feed in first instars (Cheromettia, Belippa, Narosa, etc). It is particularly important to delicately place newly hatched larvae that are on the plastic onto food plants with tiny camel's hair brushes, since they have difficulty crawling from plastic to host. Spiny larvae (Parasa, Thosea, Scopelodes, Miresa, etc) do not feed in first instar and molt again after a day or two, so they do not need to be moved from plastic to plant immediately. Leaves and fecula (=frass, droppings) also need to be changed every few days to prevent mold.
Alternatively, if you know the food plant, you can bag the moth on a plant with a fine mesh net. This has the advantage of not having the host dry out or get moldy and not having to transfer the larvae to leaves when cleaning containers, especially in early instars.
In all cases, after the female is finished laying, be sure to save the specimen as a voucher. Pin and label with a cross label to those larvae being reared is of upmost importance, of course.

Rearing limacodid larvae found in nature, as opposed to from eggs layed in container, has the advantage of knowing the true host, which has a higher probability of successful rearing. While for many species this is not essential since many species as highly polyphagous, knowing hosts and finding knew ones adds to our scientific knowledge of host plants and assists in finding additional larvae in the future. The latter becomes more important because it is often the case that you are often rearing parasitoid flies or wasps, especially when you find a late instar larvae. Of course you also want to save the flies and wasps for identification by experts.

Whether rearing from eggs or larvae, if you are keeping the larvae in a small container with host plants, the following are suggestions for successful rearing. Early instars are best kept in hard sided containers rather than plastic bags. It is important to prevent condensation since the early instars can easily drown, however, if kept too dry they will desiccate with the food plant. If larvae wander off the host to the side of the container, they can be moved back with a camel's hair brush, but much care is needed.

It is important to photograph larvae, whether found in nature or obtained from the eggs of a female. In the former case it is quite common for larvae to be parasitized by a fly or wasp. A reference photograph will enable better identification at a later time, when the identity of the larva is discovered. Furthermore, larvae that appear to be familiar can turn up to be closely related species or genera that are not presently known.
When you are successful in obtaining a large number of larvae, it is important whenever possible it is important to preserve a specimen of each instar, especially for species that have not been previously reared. This can be done by placing larvae in water that has been boiled for two minutes and then transferring the specimen to 70% ETOH. If it is a late instar, the fluid should be changed over the next few days.
These larval specimens can be used to describe the life history and be useful in determining the relationship of the species or genera to others.
One last comment: in addition to saving various larval stages in ethanol (those that older, please boil in water for a minute before putting into the 70% ethanol), please save the cocoons and the skins associated with them. You can do this in dry vials. In all cases, be sure that the voucher numbers match with the adult female that laid the eggs. Many limacodids will eat their larval skins when they molt (often at least 8 times), but if they don't, save the skins in ethanol, too.
Also, if though I don't know of any of the nettle species that eat when they first come out of the egg, please make a note about this fasting behavior. Perhaps you'll find an exception to the rule.

Now I hope I haven't completely discouraged you! This is truly one of the most amazing groups of moths due to their amazing caterpillars. Detailed knowledge of various installs, particularly the 1st, 2nd, and last few is particularly important to understanding how there are such diverse forms within one group of Lepidoptera. Indeed, this is a group where ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny: you know the ontogeny, you know the evolution. Not always the case, but in this family I'm convinced from the evidence I've seen. cluster of them.

Posted on 22 de maio de 2020, 07:29 PM by marcepstein marcepstein | 10 comentários | Deixar um comentário

08 de maio de 2020

Faux specimens

We make a small image of a photo from an iNaturalist observation and capture the data, including the link to it on iNaturalist. We cut them out in little rectangles and place them on a pin like a specimen, hence the name ‘faux specimen.’ Then they are placed along with actual specimens in my research collection. This way we can keep track of these finds that I either can’t identify to species or add info of the distribution or variation of named and unnamed species. If the faux specimen doesn’t match any others in the collection it is placed in its own unit tray located near what we think are its closest relatives.

Posted on 08 de maio de 2020, 02:13 PM by marcepstein marcepstein | 3 comentários | Deixar um comentário

01 de março de 2020

How to raise slug and nettle caterpillars, Limacodidae, and their relatives in the Zygaenoidea: Megalopygidae, Dalceridae, Aididae and Somabrachyidae.

Over the last three years I have been encouraging observers in iNaturalist to raise caterpillars of the Limacodidae in particular and to let me know what plant that they found the larva on. I'm a specialist in the Limacodidae in particular, but have also delved into research on the superfamily Zygaenoidea.

I'm hoping over time to develop a worldwide network to raise as many of the 2,000 species of Limacodidae, this rather charismatic moth group, as possible. Caterpillars, like their adults, present a number of challenges in being correctly identified by specialists. Like the adults, you have lookalikes that are indeed the same species, but also lookalikes that are different. In reverse, we also have very different looking caterpillars and very different looking adults that are indeed the same species. Sometimes, males look very different from females, as well.

I will be adding much more to this post in coming weeks, but for now, I do want you to use caution in raising caterpillars, particularly those covered in spines or hairs For example, in many Megalopygidae the spines lurk beneath the hairs.

Two basic ways to rear caterpillars are to place them in a container that is ventilated with tiny holes punch in the top or keeping them on their plant surrounded by fine mesh netting (best close to your home or where you trust your 'pillars won't be disturbed).

Handling: Don't try to grab spiny caterpillars directly. You can clip or pull the leaf off or cut off the end of a branch before placing them. You can also use a small brush to move a caterpillar directly to a container/leaf. This takes a bit of practice to have them grip on to the brush. For smaller caterpillars, a moist brush helps hold on to them, even from above.

Avoiding stings: Keep in mind, also, that it is the back of your hands and soft skin on your arms, legs and rest of body that are most vulnerable to stings, which can be quite painful.

Many of the nettle caterpillars also have tiny spines called caltrops at the base or tips of the subdorsal scoli (warts) on the sides and rear. These detach and can end up in your skin. Although these are not painful like the larger spines on the scoli, they are irritating to the skin. Often these caltrops do not form until the 3rd or 4th instar. The longer, often darker ones, on the rear segments form even later. I refer to these as deciduous spine patches. Both caltrops and the longer spines often are found in the outer layers of the the cocoon silk, so handling cocoons of the nettle caterpillars with rubber gloves is recommended.

Posted on 01 de março de 2020, 08:00 PM by marcepstein marcepstein | 15 comentários | Deixar um comentário

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