Ted's personal inverts collection.
- Thread starter Ted
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Wow...all this time and nobody mentions the fact the USDA patrolls arachnoboards.
I mean...seriously. If you're going to keep these illegal exotics, have the common sense to keep them under the rug and don't post pictures of them on the public forums. Saturnid moths, assassins and phasmids all fall under this catagory.
Several members here have had the USDA come knocking on their doors and have even had their animals confinscated because of pictures they posted here.
I mean...seriously. If you're going to keep these illegal exotics, have the common sense to keep them under the rug and don't post pictures of them on the public forums. Saturnid moths, assassins and phasmids all fall under this catagory.
Several members here have had the USDA come knocking on their doors and have even had their animals confinscated because of pictures they posted here.
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but these are all preserved specimens which i'm sure were legally collected and imported. and those live saturniids? i'm sure those were kept well before the statute of limitations on them ran out
exactly..and people dont forget..some of us have worked with zoo officials,entomologists with permits, and other institutions that have given us access to live exotics.but these are all preserved specimens which i'm sure were legally collected and imported. and those live saturniids? i'm sure those were kept well before the statute of limitations on them ran out
I dont even own any live inverts..and thse moths and so forth are long dead, behind glass for years now.
there's nothing to confiscate except dead stuff..and none of it is illegal, and can be purchased anywhere on the net.
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*sigh* and some of us just fantasize about it while we toil away the day in our cubical
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I'm not at all concerned about the dead and preserved specimens, I have some of my own. Dead insects attract no scrutiny. Live phasmids attract quite a bit of attention, however.but these are all preserved specimens which i'm sure were legally collected and imported. and those live saturniids? i'm sure those were kept well before the statute of limitations on them ran out
Pictures like this which look like they were taken outside would most certianly open up an investigation into how the 'permit keeper' is keeping them and possibly even get their permits revoked depending on the outcome of that investigation.
No sensible person who went through the trouble to get the permit (or worked with an institution who has a permit, for that matter) would invite that sort of attention.
Whatever, though. I've heard from reliable sources this site is constantly attracting ever more scrutiny from the USDA (exactly how much scrutiny, to be exact) because of people posting pictures like this and inquiring about smuggling from one country to another and other generally illegal or suspicious activities.
If everything's kosher, everything's kosher. If not, don't think for one second posting about your 'permit' will keep the USDA from knocking on your door if you keep posting pictures like this...especially when you say stuff like:
If the poster knew they weren't supposed to have them, I highly doubt they were legally imported or legally obtained. I also don't believe for one second the pictures of live saturnids were taken before the statutes of limitations ran out.
It's not really my problem. If you really do have a permit, then by all means keep posting. If you don't, posting pictures of illegal exotics is a very, very bad idea.
Some people on this site have had the USDA knocking on their door for posting pictures of phasmids they took when they were working with their school's entomology department and even said they weren't theirs.
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Everything, basically. Plant pests and secondary plant pests (anything which could potentially eat pollinators) are banned. So everything is technically illegal, but bans are enforced for only a few select groups of animals including but certianly not limited to mantids, platymeris, phasmids, saturnid moths, ants, locusts, snails, exotic lucanid and scarab (such as dynastes) beetles, etc.
The reason they're banned is that the USDA is worried animals could get loose and become agricultural and/or ecological pests.
hey cheshire..
did you ever think that you going on and on and on and on about it and quoting me, and reposting my pics and bringing it up is going to cut down on the negative exposure?:?
i think if you had just ignored it it would have been fine.
you rambling on about it sure helps everything.
i wouldnt have posted those pics if i had anything to hide.
but go ahead..keep bringing it up five times a day..that'll make it all better.:evil:
did you ever think that you going on and on and on and on about it and quoting me, and reposting my pics and bringing it up is going to cut down on the negative exposure?:?
i think if you had just ignored it it would have been fine.
you rambling on about it sure helps everything.
i wouldnt have posted those pics if i had anything to hide.
but go ahead..keep bringing it up five times a day..that'll make it all better.:evil:
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There are a lot of people who have the image of the pet hobby as a bunch of people who would sooner illegally smuggle their animals across borders than legally import them (amongst other bad things which don't apply in this case).hey cheshire..
did you ever think that you going on and on and on and on about it and quoting me, and reposting my pics and bringing it up is going to cut down on the negative exposure?:?
i think if you had just ignored it it would have been fine.
you rambling on about it sure helps everything.
Consequently, this creates a very negative image of the hobby which frequently results in strict regulations.
People blatantly bragging about breaking multiple federal laws on a public forum that is pretty much constantly monitored by the USDA doesn't help matters any.
Like I said earlier...this isn't my problem. It's yours. If you feel you have nothing to hide, then by all means keep posting pictures of your incredible specimens.
Just be prepared to deal with any potential consequences because if you keep posting pictures of illegal animals you keep as pets and talking about illegal activities (owning illegal animals implies they were illegally obtained and distributed because animals which are banned by the USDA are often illegal to transport or distribute under most conditions), there will eventually be consequences. There have been before for other people who did exactly what you did...both when the specimens were theirs and when the animals they posted pictures of weren't even in their possession. I doubt they'll relax on saturnids or phasmids anytime soon. Other things, they only seem to care about if they're distributed en masse and other things they don't seem to care about unless people are shipping them out. Just depends on what it is.
You can pout about how mean I am all you want, but that still doesn't change the fact you're bragging about owning animals that are illegal to own under USDA regulations on a message board which is monitored by the USDA.
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as i said..this is a given..and if i had anything to hide, or was doing anything illegal, i wouldn't be posting them.
its not illegal to own dead saturnids or phasmids..and mine have been dead for many years.
I really dont want to argue here..what i post will not affect you in any way, especially if you arent doing anything or saying anything wrong.
lets leave it at that..can we?
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Son of a diddly! Well now that I'm currently on a cable modem at someone else's house, I can see your pics now. That's some rockin stuff! stuff I'll prob only see pics of. Thanks, interesting stuff.some more pics..
these are from last year when i was breeding Cecropia moths..which, in my opinion, are about the prettiest moth in north America, and the most attractive Saturnids around.
The larvae are huge..they are super hard to keep fed long enough to rear them.
They aren't from where I live, so food plants are scarce..so i worked my fanny off scouting the neighborhoods.
at nearly a six inch wingspan, they are quite impressive flyers as well.
the females are in the scenting cage..and she releases pheromones that
bring the males in..they attach through the wire and when done he fly's away and gets eaten or sometimes just falls to the ground and starts fluttering around till it dies or gets munched.
the female will start laying eggs soon after and then does the same type thing the male does..destroying herself in the process.
such a short and seemingly meaningless life, it seems..as the moths dont even have mouthparts and cant eat.
anyhow..enjoy the pics!
Borrowed this image from the net, because i couldn't find a top view.
these are from last year when i was breeding Cecropia moths..which, in my opinion, are about the prettiest moth in north America, and the most attractive Saturnids around.
The larvae are huge..they are super hard to keep fed long enough to rear them.
They aren't from where I live, so food plants are scarce..so i worked my fanny off scouting the neighborhoods.
at nearly a six inch wingspan, they are quite impressive flyers as well.
the females are in the scenting cage..and she releases pheromones that
bring the males in..they attach through the wire and when done he fly's away and gets eaten or sometimes just falls to the ground and starts fluttering around till it dies or gets munched.
the female will start laying eggs soon after and then does the same type thing the male does..destroying herself in the process.
such a short and seemingly meaningless life, it seems..as the moths dont even have mouthparts and cant eat.
anyhow..enjoy the pics!
Borrowed this image from the net, because i couldn't find a top view.