Actias selene

Actias selene(Actias selene)

Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —saturniidae

Genus –actias

Appearance

Newborn caterpillars are black with orange spots. Later, they turn reddish-brown with black dots. The color of the older caterpillars is bright green. The caterpillar is covered with hairs. The wingspan of these butterflies is 15-18 cm. The body of the butterfly is covered with hairs. Males have feathery antennae. The main background color is light green. On each wing there are small rounded eyespots. At a distance of about 1 cm from the edge of the wing are two reddish stripes. The hind wings have long tails.

Habitat

Actias seleneis quite widespread, found from India to Japan and then south into Nepal, Sri Lanka, Borneo, and other islands in eastern Asia. Many subspecies live in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Russia, China, Java, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Taiwan and Borneo.

Behavior

Males are active at night; females hardly move at all if not paired and prefer to sit still and disperse pheromones (“calling” the males).

Diet

Adult butterflies do not feed.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm.Eggs are 2 mm, coloured white with extensive black and brown mottling. Incubation lasts approximately 12 days. Incubation at a humidity of 70-80% and a temperature of 20-24°C.The caterpillars feed on willow, oak, hawthorn, bird cherry, apple, pear.If the newborn caterpillars do not begin to feed, they should be placed for 1-2 days in a dark place.It is better to keep the caterpillars in mesh terrariums for 6-8 insects.It is necessary to place a branch of a forage plant in it.Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days. The insects should be kept at a room temperature andhumidity of 50-60%. The caterpillar develops for 3-4 weeks.The caterpillar then makes a cocoon in the corner of the container in which it pupates. Pupae in cocoons can be stored in damp sawdust at a temperature of +5 to -5°C and moderate humidity. Butterflies come out of the cocoon at the earliest in 2 weeks, but can hatch after 7 months. The butterfly's life span is 10-17 days.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours.

 

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