Tips on Raising Viceroys, Purples, and Admirals. Presented by Todd L. Stout

Transcription

1 Tips on Raising Viceroys, Purples, and Admirals Presented by

2 Red Spotted Purple:

3 Red Spotted Purple: Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)

4 Red Spotted Purple: Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)

5 Red Spotted Purple: Willows (Salix spp.)

6 Red Spotted Purple: So how do we breed them??? 1. Captive Breeding in Flight Houses 2. Obtain Eggs from Wild-Collected Gravid Females 3. Collect Eggs and Young Caterpillars in the Wild 4. Collect Hibernacula in the Winter

7 Breeding Red Spotted Purples: Captive Breeding in Flight Houses Six Foot by Six Foot by Six Foot Popup: This setup did NOT work for me! Butterflies did not mate. This popup was too small.

8 Breeding Feeding Red Females Spotted Honey Purples: Water 1:10 Captive Breeding in Flight Houses

9 Breeding Red Spotted Purples: Obtaining Eggs from Wild-Collected Females

10 Breeding Red Spotted Purples: Female Arizona Purple laying eggs on Choke Cherry

11 Red Spotted Purple: Like other Limenitis, females deposit eggs on tip of leaf

12 Red Spotted Purple:

13 Red Spotted Purple: Young Caterpillar Extends the Vein of Leaf with Frass Chain 2. Dung Debris Note: Once you ve trained your eyes to spot this, finding eggs and early instar caterpillars becomes easier. 1. Leaf Vein 3. Frass Chain

14 Red Spotted Purple:

15 Red Spotted Purple: Second Instar Caterpillar Perches Are Conspicuous! 2. Dung Debris Note: Train your eyes to recognize this unique pattern of feeding damage. Look for the perch first, caterpillar second. 1. Leaf Vein 3. Frass Chain

16 Red Spotted Purple:

17 Red Spotted Purple: Avoiding Hibernation: This is Critical!!! 1. Something very critical happens when a Red Spotted Purple (or Viceroy, or Weidemeyer s Admiral etc. etc.) molts its skin to 2 nd instar. 2. It measures day length where it will hibernate if exposed to short days or it will go through to adult if exposed to long days. 3. What this means for breeders is that YOU control when caterpillars feed through to pupa and then adult within a month or so vs. when they construct a rolled-leaf hibernaculum and hibernate. If you want caterpillars to avoid hibernation, rear them INDOORS and expose freshly molted 2 nd instars to 24 hours of light.

18 Red Spotted Purple: Avoiding Hibernation: Critical Recap Recently molted 2 nd instar caterpillars measure daylength and make the decision to hibernate or not hibernate. Third instar caterpillars execute the decision to hibernate or not hibernate. If they do hibernate, they will start constructing a rolled leaf hibernaculum.

19 Red Spotted Purple: If you want adult butterflies in about 1 month as opposed to next year, then expose freshly molted 2 nd instars to 24 hours of light until they are fourth instars. (At fourth instar, they are committed to go through.) Rolled Leaf Hibernaculum Nicky Davis

20 Red Spotted Purple: Rolled Leaf Hibernaculum Construction (If you see this, it s too late and the caterpillar will overwinter.)

21 Red Spotted Purple:

22 Red Spotted Purple:

23 Red Spotted Purple:

24 Red Spotted Purple: Fifth Instar Caterpillar

25 Red Spotted Purple: Prepupa Pupa

26 Fall and Winter Activities: Finding hibernacula in the winter is NOT necessarily difficult when willows/cherries/poplars etc. have dropped their leaves because it remains attached to the branch where it can be somewhat conspicuous. Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

27 Fall and Winter Activities: Finding RSP hibernacula in the winter is NOT necessarily difficult when willows/cherries/poplars etc. have dropped their leaves because it remains attached to the branch where it can be somewhat conspicuous. Watch this Video: Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

28 Tips on Raising Viceroys, Purples, and Admirals Red Spotted Purples vs. Arizona Purples Red Spotted Purples Arizona Purples

29 Not Just Red Spotted Purples: All North American Viceroys, Purples, and Admirals Have Very Similar Life Histories!

30 The Viceroy: Eastern U.S. Habitat

31 The Viceroy: Western U.S. Habitat

32 Arizona Viceroy: Desert Southwest Habitat

33 Arizona Viceroy: Adult Butterflies

34 The Viceroy: Host Plants: Willow Family include Willows

35 The Viceroy: Poplars

36 The Viceroy: and Aspens

37 The Viceroy: So how do we breed them??? 1. Captive Breeding in Flight Houses and Greenhouse Castles 2. Obtain Eggs from Wild-Collected Females 3. Collect Eggs and Young Caterpillars in the Wild 4. Collect Hibernacula in the Winter

38 The Viceroy: Captive Breeding in Flight Houses Six Foot by Six Foot by Six Foot Popup: This setup DID work for me!

39 The Viceroy: Captive Breeding in Flight Houses Six Foot by Six Foot by Six Foot Popup: This setup DID work for me!

40 The Viceroy: Feeding Live Females

41 The Viceroy: Feeding Live Females

42 Breeding Viceroys: Obtaining Eggs from Wild-Collected Females

43 Breeding Viceroys: Placing potted Dwarf Arctic Willow==Salix purpurea in a Popup has been very productive in temperate areas.

44 Breeding Viceroys: Viceroys will lay eggs on many willows. However, Dwarf Arctic Blue Willow has so many small leaves that females deposit more eggs in a more confined space. Note: Place a large enough potted plant in a popup so that your female is exposed to host regardless of where she wanders. This setup is very productive not only for Viceroys, but Admirals as well.

45 Breeding Viceroys: Dwarf Blue Arctic Willow Can Be Purchased at Local Nurseries or Online

46 Breeding Viceroys: But, place your female INSIDE the cage, not outside

47 Breeding Viceroys: That s Better!

48 Breeding Eggs! Viceroys: Obtaining Eggs from Wild-Collected Females

49 Breeding Viceroys: Eggs are Deposited on the Tip of the Leaf

50 Recently Hatched Breeding First Viceroys: Instar Caterpillars Obtaining Eggs from Wild-Collected Females

51 Breeding Viceroys: Like Red Spotted Purples, Young Caterpillar Perches Are Conspicuous! 1. Leaf Vein 2. Dung Debris 3. Frass Chain 4. Caterpillar 1. Leaf Vein 3. Frass Chain 2. Dung Debris

52 Breeding Viceroys: Like Red Spotted Purples, Expose 2 nd Instars to 24 hours of light Recently molted 2 nd instar caterpillars measure daylength and make the decision to hibernate or not hibernate. Third instar caterpillars execute the decision to hibernate or not hibernate. If they do hibernate, they will start constructing a rolled leaf hibernaculum.

53 Breeding Viceroys: So, How do you Know if a Third Instar Caterpillar will Construct a Hibernaculum or Go Through and Pupate? Caterpillars Exposed to 24 hours of light will feed through third instar, molt, and become a fourth instar caterpillar. Caterpillars Exposed to Short Daylength may construct a rolled leaf hibernaculum and not resume feeding until next spring.

54 Third Instar Set to Molt? What Does That Mean?

55 Note: This third instar caterpillar shows a light brown area where a new head is forming. This caterpillar is committed to go through to pupa and adult. This is a fourth instar caterpillar (ssp. floridensis) and represents what happens after a third instar caterpillar molts. It has longer thoracic horns

56 Breeding Viceroys: Fourth Instar, Fifth Instar, Prepupa, and Pupa 1. Leaf Vein

57 Breeding Viceroys: Adult Butterfly! 1. Leaf Vein

58 Breeding Viceroys: Look for hibernacula near rivers or draped right over rivers. Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

59 L. weidemeyeri fifth instar L. archippus fifth instar L. lorquini fifth instar L. a. arizonensis fifth instar

60 Overwintering Hibernacula Key: Humidity, Airflow and Protection from Predation!

61 Breeding Viceroys: Taking Care of Hibernacula Over the Winter. Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

62 Breeding Viceroys: Taking Care of Hibernacula Over the Winter. Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

63 Breeding Viceroys: Taking Care of Hibernacula Over the Winter. Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

64 Breeding Viceroys: Taking Care of Hibernacula Over the Winter. Caterpillar Attached to willow branch with silk

65 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Males vs. Females

66 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Common Host Plants 1. Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) 2. Willows (Salix spp.) 3. Poplars and Aspens (Populus spp.) 4. Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis)

67 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Breeding Techniques Similar to RSP s and Viceroys 1. Obtain Eggs from Wild-Collected Females 2. Collect Eggs and Young Caterpillars in the Wild 3. Collect Hibernacula in the Winter

68 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Host Plants

69 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Obtain Eggs from Wild Collected Females

70 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Obtain Eggs from Wild Collected Females; similar to Viceroys

71 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Life History

72 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Life History

73 Weidemeyer s Admiral: Avoiding Hibernation: Sound Familiar? Second instars measures day length where it will hibernate if exposed to short days or it will go through to adult if exposed to long days. What this means for breeders is that YOU control when butterflies emerge immediately vs. when you need them to hibernate. If you want caterpillars to avoid hibernation, then expose freshly molted 2 nd instars to 24 hours of light.

74 Lorquin s Admiral: Males vs. Females

75 Lorquin s Admiral: Serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis)

76 Rearing Banded Admirals vs. Viceroys Note: Strategies for raising Viceroys as compared to banded admirals and purples are very similar with a few exceptions. The major one being that Purples and Admiral Caterpillars, in addition to accepting willows, also feed on cherries, service berries, some deer berries, and even birch (arthemis).

77 Rearing Banded Admirals vs. Viceroys Strategic Similarities Collecting and Obtaining ova from live females (Setting up oviposition cage) How to recognize immatures on host ova, pre-diapausal larvae, hibernacula Insuring that ova hatch in the lab and do not desiccate (Keep ova on original host leaf) Exposing freshly-molted second instars to 24 hours of light to avoid hibernation Successful hibernacula overwintering techniques (avoiding desiccation). Setting up a post-diapausal rearing terrarium from hibernacula using willow starts Differences in pre vs. post-diapausal larval resting positions Utilizing Populus sucker leaves on larger instars to maximize the size of emerged adults

78 Repeating Theme of Rearing Admirals: Whether it s successfully 1. Overwintering hibernacula 2. Hatching ova in the lab (avoiding desiccation) 3. Setting up rearing cage 4. Getting eggs out of live females 5. Finding populations (especially Viceroys) Humidity!