tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post3010641180498639728..comments2023-10-22T08:06:07.451-07:00Comments on The Purple Empire: A question for the experts ...Derek Longhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03669210989794244490noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-52202281057059406132015-05-07T15:43:39.303-07:002015-05-07T15:43:39.303-07:00Guy. From the head capsule coloration, Yudhiṣṭhir...Guy. From the head capsule coloration, Yudhiṣṭhira also over wintered as a 2nd instar larvae. I sure however this was obvious from my previous comment posted!irisscientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08157165194083135872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-43877646958416699342015-05-05T10:32:02.138-07:002015-05-05T10:32:02.138-07:00Thanks again. I'll try to follow as many as po...Thanks again. I'll try to follow as many as possible of my now 13 cats through to pupation. I'm very lucky that I can check on them easily on my daily dog walks.<br /><br />My smallest cat (Yudhiṣṭhira) is still only about 9mm long. I didn't know him last year, so haven't counted instars, but you can find a picture of him here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guypadfield.com/images2015/iriscatyudhisthira5may2015b.jpg" rel="nofollow">here</a><br /><br />(If the link doesn't work, this is the URL: http://www.guypadfield.com/images2015/iriscatyudhisthira5may2015b.jpg)<br /><br />GuyGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10068115301762887059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-10305423228190905142015-05-05T10:27:03.278-07:002015-05-05T10:27:03.278-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10068115301762887059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-2383662366526787452015-05-05T02:05:31.685-07:002015-05-05T02:05:31.685-07:00Hi Guy. Both of your cats have definitely recentl...Hi Guy. Both of your cats have definitely recently shed. The dark/black head capsule of Durgā (pre-shed) in indicative (to me at least) that this cat did (as you suggest) over-winter in its 2nd instar. The larvae obviously hatch from their eggs with dark/black rounded head capsules. This dark/black coloration remains in the second instar, although the head capsule in the 2nd instar obviously also has the distinctive horns. This darker head capsule colouration subsequently disappears after the 2nd instar.irisscientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08157165194083135872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-89596391938111482542015-05-04T22:56:47.351-07:002015-05-04T22:56:47.351-07:00Thank you for this. Yes, I have been thinking abou...Thank you for this. Yes, I have been thinking about eclosion times, as the smallest larvae (at the moment) are in the shadiest spots, and I wondered if females knew the sex of their eggs when laying. I suspect not - so presume this environmental factor will be overriden by genetic factors as they grow.<br /><br />But to the specific question, can you confirm the larva in these two pictures has definitely undergone ecdysis between them? If so, she ('she' after her arbitrarily assigned name) is either a 10 mm 4th instar cat (a full 5 mm shorter than the other newly 4th instar cat) or she is newly 3rd instar. I think overwintering in 2nd instar is more common in Switzerland than in the UK. GuyGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10068115301762887059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3462224469938183303.post-53659613130771806202015-05-04T14:17:17.621-07:002015-05-04T14:17:17.621-07:00Guy. Please don't forget that there is always...Guy. Please don't forget that there is always a natural eclosion divide between the sexes of this species. The males always mature a week to ten days before the females, allowing them time to accumulate the compounds needed for successful copulation. It will be interesting to see if this prediction subsequently turns out to be correct. It will be possible to determine the sex of your larvae in their mid-late 5th instar. My guess would certainly be that the early maturing larvae will be male, whilst the later maturing larvae will be female. In saying this, there are of course always exceptions to this general eclosion rule.irisscientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08157165194083135872noreply@blogger.com