Rothschildia lebeau

Rothschildia lebeau (Rothschildia lebeau)

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

Genus – rothschildia

Appearance

The younger caterpillars are black with yellow spines. The older caterpillars are green with thin transverse white and brown stripes.

The wingspan of butterflies is 90-125 mm. Females are larger than males. Wings are reddish brown with an olive tinge. Upperside of forewing has large clear spots that touch or pass through the postmedian band. Postmedian band on each wing is irregular with a narrow white band.

Habitat

Rothschildia lebeau lives in the South of North America, as well as in Central and South America.

Behavior

Rothschildia lebeau is active at night. There are 2 generations per year.

Young caterpillars feed in groups while older ones are solitary feeders.

Diet

The caterpillars feed on the leaves of the bird cherry.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 70 x 70 x 90 cm. The female lays eggs in groups of 3-6 on the lower part of the leaves of the forage plant. Eggs are light yellow with a thin brown ring and oval. Each female lays more than 100 eggs. 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 large plastic containers, closed with a grid, for 6-8 insects. In the container, you need to place a branch of the forage plant. Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days. The temperature is 23-24 ^oC and humidity is 60-70%. The caterpillar develops for 25-30 days, and then pupates in a cocoon. The cocoon is gray-brown, suspended from a thin twig. The duration of the pupa stage is 25-30 days. 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.