Strange eggs - Fifth image added - eggs

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Pizzazz
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Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Strange eggs - Fifth image added - eggs

Post by Pizzazz »

Hi Gang

I was sitting on my porch here in Florida, and something attached to
the screen caught my eye.

It was a strange line (2 inches) and straight structure that resembled
silk and upon further investigation, it was filled with very small eggs.

I took a cotton swab and removed some of the eggs and here is a shot
of three of them.

Some of the other eggs from the sample look transparent and have an
iridescent color and you can see a little bit of this in the photo. Others
have long hair like structures similar to the one below.

I have no idea what creature laid these, but I do not believe it is a spider,
but I could be wrong.

UPDATE: The second shot shows more of the iridescence.


Nikon D850
Mitutoyo 10x attached to Edmund Optics 200mm lens and Nikon PB6 bellows
117 shots at 8 micron steps



Mike

ImageImage
Last edited by Pizzazz on Tue Feb 25, 2020 5:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

There are some moths that lay eggs like this.

Do you plan to wait and see what comes out? I'm betting on small caterpillars.

If you have foliage near the screen, that would be good candidate for food plant.

--Rik

Pizzazz
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Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Post by Pizzazz »

Hi Rik

I thought moths would lay eggs on the food source. These were laid on the
nylon screen.

Yes, I have them in a specimen jar AND I only took a small amount.

I will see what hatches. If there are caterpillars, they are going to be very,
very small.

Also, I did not see any scales like I did with my Polyphemus eggs.

Working on a second stack of a different cluster now.

Mike

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Pizzazz wrote:I thought moths would lay eggs on the food source.
Not always. Sometimes they just lay them close and expect them to find their way. On the other hand whatever laid these could have been sick or injured and just dumped them inappropriately.

The hairs that you have here could be extremely elongated scales. A scale is just a modified hair anyway.

--Rik

MarkSturtevant
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Post by MarkSturtevant »

Agreed. Most likely moth eggs. Some lay a group of eggs on the tree trunk of their host tree, and its possible the female got confused. Or was pulled in by lights at night, and wound up putting down her eggs there.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Pizzazz
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Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Post by Pizzazz »

Gang

My eggs hatched and they are tiny caterpillars, making these young moths.
I placed some leaves in my container from a nearby plant and so far they are avoiding them.

I did get one egg and placed it on the top of a straight pin so you get an idea
as to the size.

Mike



Image

Pizzazz
Posts: 583
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Post by Pizzazz »

Hi Gang


OK, here are some hatched eggs and a deceased instar.

Sad that they did not consume what I provided, but I did not know the
species.


Image

Pizzazz
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Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:39 pm

Post by Pizzazz »

Gang

Another shot of some eggs



Image

MarkSturtevant
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Post by MarkSturtevant »

It really would be hard to know what would be their food plant. You did your best!
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

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