Samia cynthia

Samia cynthia (Samia cynthia)

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

Genus – samia

Appearance

The younger caterpillars are yellow with black dots. The older caterpillars are light green, sometimes they are almost white with bluish-green spines.

Samia cynthia has very large wings of 113–125 mm (4.4–4.9 in), with a quarter-moon shaped spot on both the upper and lower wings, whitish and yellow stripes and brown background. There are eyespots on the outer forewings.

Habitat

The species occurs naturally as various subspecies over much of far-east Asia, including China, India, and Japan.

Behavior

Most adults emerge in the late morning, with females calling that same night, or even during late afternoon. Pairing usually takes place just after sunset and lasts for up to 12 hours.  By day the adults rest among foliage.

A sedentary, non-dispersive species, with females very attached to the tree or thicket of saplings where they emerged. Males are more adventurous and will fly some distance in search of females.

The younger caterpillars live in groups, the older ones-singly.

Diet

Larvae will feed on other trees and shrubs, but all eggs are laid on the "tree of heaven" (Ailanthus altissima) and growth is best on it. This tree is commonly grown as an ornamental in cities. The subspecies Samia cynthia ricini feeds upon castor bean.

Reproduction

These butterflies are very easy to breed. For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 70 x 70 x 100 cm. Whitish eggs, marked with brown, are laid in rows of 10 to 20 on leaves in crescents. The duration of incubation is 7-10 days. If the newborn caterpillars do not begin to feed, they should be placed for 1-2 days in a dark place. The caterpillars should be kept in mesh terrariums for 6-8 insects. In the terrarium, you need to place a branch of a forage plant. Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days. The keepers should maintain room temperature and humidity 60-70%. The caterpillar develops for about 2 months. The cocoon is light, golden-gray, usually attached to the leaf petiole. The pupa is brown. The butterfly's life span is 5-7 days.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Adult butterflies of this species do not feed and live off the stocks accumulated during the larval period.