Subject: Re: Cecropia Answer Needed

From: [email-masked] (Whirlabout)
Date: 17 Jun 1995 07:28:09 -0400

Some time, over a year ago, I was having a lengthy discussion with a
breeder and he was venting about the viral infections being dispersed by
commercial and/or large scale breeders. He had halted all purchases from
these breeders because of this. I asked him of the effects of this virus
and he told me that it was not apparent until emergence of the adults. I
believe that the symptoms were problems with the wings unfolding and/or
being stunted.

One of the reasons that he was livid was that there was a simple cure but
people would not use it. As I recall, it had something to do with soaking
the eggs in a nasty chemical (formaldehyde ?) for a short period of time.
This killed the virus but left the occupant inside with no residual
affects. 

I will search my records for his name if anyone is interested. I believe
he was located in the Northern U.S. (possibly Michigan?). Since this was
some time ago and no one else in the group has apparently heard of this -
I hope my imagination hasn't made this up. However, when I saw Pierre's
response, I began to think that I wasn't crazy....

  > I have been raising several types of Saturniidae for a little
>over a year.  My Cecropias were bred and raised in captivity, and I have
>a couple dozen beginning to emerge as adults.  The problem:  I have one
>female whose wings are obviously deformed.  She is mating with a male who
>emerged last night and I need to know what to do with her eggs.  Does a
>'failure-to-unfold' wing abnormality transfer genetically or is it a more
>common defect of handling on my part?  I try to release many of the
>caterpillars just before pupating.  Most of the others are given to
>schoolclassrooms to raise, traded for other larvae, or just released as
>adults.
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            It is never too late to be what you might have been.
                             -  George Eliot
Ron
[email-masked]
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