Are Atlas moths legal in US?

[Schledog]

So I would like to get a group of atlas moths so I can use them for my bug shows at schools
(also I would like to keep them as pets, duh) and I couldn't find any for sale in the US. I found some native moths for sale but no atlas moths. Are they illegal in the US?

 

[Greasylake]

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[MasterOogway]

They are not; they are a regulated plant pest by USDA/APHIS. Search their latin binomial here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/rppl/rppl-table

Always be aware, just because you can buy something, doesn't make it legal. Tons of inverts are technically illegal but are sold all the time. Walking sticks, most/many non-native mantids, and plenty of others are illegal under the USDA/APHIS plant pest list.

 

[mantisfan101]

Generally if it eats live plants and is not US native it’s a big no-no. Stick insects, cockroaches, snails, and so on are all out of the question.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

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[Greasylake]

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Nothing to see here

 

[The Snark]

The primary predators of the Atlas Moth are various Nephila species along with certain bats and night hunting birds that are endemic to the tropics.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

So I would like to get a group of atlas moths so I can use them for my bug shows at schools
(also I would like to keep them as pets, duh) and I couldn't find any for sale in the US. I found some native moths for sale but no atlas moths. Are they illegal in the US?

They are illegal without a PPQ 526 permit. To obtain the permit for A. atlas, you would need a containment facility. This can be a room in your house that is inspected by APHIS and meets certain standards for preventing the dissemination of plant pests.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_he...thropod_biocontrol_containment_guidelines.pdf

Generally if it eats live plants and is not US native it’s a big no-no. Stick insects, cockroaches, snails, and so on are all out of the question.

While phasmids and snails are highly regulated and require containment facilities, the permits for many species of cockroaches are actually quite easy to obtain.

 

[Schledog]

Alright thank you all. I'm probably just going to stick with polyphemus moths then. They are pretty cool, although an atlas moth is cooler. Maybe Ill try to get permits sometime when I'm older.

 

[NathanJBoob]

Alright thank you all. I'm probably just going to stick with polyphemus moths then. They are pretty cool, although an atlas moth is cooler. Maybe Ill try to get permits sometime when I'm older.

There are a fair number of really interesting Saturniids within our boarders! I have been rearing them for over 20 years now and I never get tired of seeing a nice batch of Spring form lunas or big fat cecropias!! There are even some cool color morphs becoming available!

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

You beat me to pointing out Citheronia regalis! It is my favorite North American lepidopteran.

There are even some cool color morphs becoming available!

Where can I get a neon orange luna moth?

 

[mantisfan101]

Holy crap did you do all of that?! That’s amazing! Tisa shame that they only live for a couple of weeks...are the darker individuals tenerals/freshly emerged?

 

[NathanJBoob]

You beat me to pointing out Citheronia regalis! It is my favorite North American lepidopteran.

Where can I get a neon orange luna moth?

I've never seen a luna like the one you described! I've been selective breeding them for the pink expression in the Spring form and large eyespots. Here were a few of my breeders from last April.

 

[NathanJBoob]

Holy crap did you do all of that?! That’s amazing! Tisa shame that they only live for a couple of weeks...are the darker individuals tenerals/freshly emerged?

Yes that's just a small bit of what I'm doing with these big moths! Which photo are you referring to about the freshly emerged ones?

 

[mantisfan101]

The cecropia and polyphemus moths

 

[NathanJBoob]

The cecropia and polyphemus moths

The dark polyphemus in that photo are an extremely rare color morph that exists in the wild. It is controlled by a recessive gene. I stumbled upon it about 8 years ago and have maintained it to the present.

The light, yellowish cecropia are a new morph I call golden. It is also a naturally occurring color morph and very rare. A friend collected a cocoon that produced a female a few years back. He paired her with a wild male and three of their offspring were goldens. The progeny from the sibling golden pairing produced all goldens.

 

[mantisfan101]

The dark polyphemus in that photo are an extremely rare color morph that exists in the wild. It is controlled by a recessive gene. I stumbled upon it about 8 years ago and have maintained it to the present.

The light, yellowish cecropia are a new morph I call golden. It is also a naturally occurring color morph and very rare. A friend collected a cocoon that produced a female a few years back. He paired her with a wild male and three of their offspring were goldens. The progeny from the sibling golden pairing produced all goldens.

You’re absolutely kidding me, that’s just unbelievably amazing. Well, guess I found another hobby! Sorry for derailing the topic but where do you find wild cocoons for any silk moth species?

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

I've never seen a luna like the one you described! I've been selective breeding them for the pink expression in the Spring form and large eyespots. Here were a few of my breeders from last April.

I was joking about a neon orange color morph (although it would be amazing).
I would love to have different color morphs in a giant silkmoth colony, but I first have to find the regular ones. So far, I have only ever found a couple of cocoons. I recently learned of a new place in my area that has large populations of luna moths, and I was told how to find the larvae. Do you have any tips for finding species in the Ceratocampinae subfamily? I know they pupate underground, but I have yet to find any larvae (except Anisota sp).
How do you supply enough fresh hardwood leaves to your larvae? The leaves quickly dry when I harvest branches despite me putting them in a jar of water. How can the leaves be kept fresh?

 

[NathanJBoob]

You’re absolutely kidding me, that’s just unbelievably amazing. Well, guess I found another hobby! Sorry for derailing the topic but where do you find wild cocoons for any silk moth species?

The best places to find cocoons in the wild is along the edges of woods, like where they meet an open field. Fence rows and along roads where oak, cherry and sassafrass are growing are good spots as well. Species that spin on the ground or have cocoons that end up on the ground are very hard to find.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Well, guess I found another hobby!

Ha! Lepidoptera were the first insects I kept and introduced me to the hobby, and I have been wanting to breed saturniids ever since I started. I am actually thinking about trying to find some today luna moths at that new location I learned about.