wolfachim's Favorites

Apollo rising

I cheated and kept 2 final instar larvae (c. 40mm) - of a hoard that crawled over the drive under their Turraea floribunda food tree searching for a pupation spot - and had to be saved from squashing.
Pupation: 08/01/2019
Eclosion: 22/01/2019
(The other fella has just crawled out his pupation soil as I'm typing this - see: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19855437)

See the host plant https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13709945
After 4 days of sitting still (changing into the 5th instar?), the larva started eating again today, 02 July 2018. (Added 3 more pics.)
More pics added.

See pupa https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15142063
See imago https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15142362

A movement on the road caught my eye and on approaching was thinking of either something had caught a chameleon or it was injured and thrashing about in death throes. They were absolutely still after this flurry of movement, just eyes moving. One brief flurry again, followed by another long period of almost absolute motionless, another brief flurry and they parted. Never seen one as pitch black as the female, marking around the eyes standing out almost as clearly as under UV light. Both returned to more normal colours rapidly after parting, both removed by hand to the relative safety of near by shrubs. Total time actually witnessed 1 hour and 5 minutes, but I believe from others that they started mating some time before that.
Comments of selling price of a breeding pair shocking at R12 000 or there abouts!