Collecting Insects as Reptiles & Amphibian Food: Traps & Tips

[JeffreH]

Thats good they will spit out bad tasting things. The banded tussock moth is a pretty tan moth with delicate lines on the wings. The important part: they have two teal/turquoise lines on its throrax. It releases a nasty tasting liquid there.

I would avoid feeding Arctiids in general. Most, if not all of them sequester nasty, toxic metabolites from their host plants during development.

It's good practice when feeding moths to identify the host-plant ranges of the larvae prior to feeding. Secondary metabolite sequestering is a very common practice in Lep larvae...I presume the toxins remain through pupation and adulthood in most species.

[Tongue Flicker]

I would avoid feeding Arctiids in general. Most, if not all of them sequester nasty, toxic metabolites from their host plants during development.

It's good practice when feeding moths to identify the host-plant ranges of the larvae prior to feeding. Secondary metabolite sequestering is a very common practice in Lep larvae...I presume the toxins remain through pupation and adulthood in most species.

Yes, they sure do but to an extent that it is not as potent as they were during larval stage. Hormonal changes during pupation and adulthood somehow dilutes the sequestered toxins. Then again, better safe than sorry.

[Bombina Bob]

not to worry, most moths i feed were waxworm pupa