# Ted's personal inverts collection.



## Ted (Jul 10, 2007)

i have thousands of specimens that I have raised and collected ..so will post a bit at a time.

I will start out with a few pics of the Atlas Moths I raised..it was quite cool watching them fly around my house.


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## Ted (Jul 10, 2007)

you will notice that the edge of the forwing looks like a viper head..this is to scare away predators.

very cool!


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## beetleman (Jul 10, 2007)

i'm not a moth person.......but those things are huge!! you can get up on them and take off. very impressive.


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## Aztek (Jul 10, 2007)

Mother of God!
Is that the biggest insect???


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## arachnocat (Jul 10, 2007)

Awesome! What kind of cage do you keep them in?


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## Ted (Jul 10, 2007)

Aztek said:


> Mother of God!
> Is that the biggest insect???


lol.they have largest wingspan area in the world.
mine are particularly big..with almost a 12 inch span!


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## Ted (Jul 10, 2007)

arachnocat said:


> Awesome! What kind of cage do you keep them in?


thanks!
they were kept in a six foot by five foot enclosure...enough room to feed and mate.


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## Ted (Jul 11, 2007)

i have alot of resizing to do..shall post more pics asap.!


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## maxident213 (Jul 11, 2007)

Mothra!   

Awesome! :clap:


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## sick4x4 (Jul 11, 2007)

i heard there was a giant moth in Borneo....???? i was watching a nature show about how elusive they are that wouldn't be it would it??


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## Ted (Jul 11, 2007)

sick4x4 said:


> i heard there was a giant moth in Borneo....???? i was watching a nature show about how elusive they are that wouldn't be it would it??


I am willing to bet that it was..at least it could have been.
they certainly are elusive throughout their range..and like many Saturnids, are hard to get in areas where they are fairly common.


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## sick4x4 (Jul 11, 2007)

Ted said:


> I am willing to bet that it was..at least it could have been.
> they certainly are elusive throughout their range..and like many Saturnids, are hard to get in areas where they are fairly common.


umm i belive they said this particular moth posses a 12" Proboscis???? i dont know much moth anatomy lol but thats big....


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## zimbu (Jul 11, 2007)

you might be talking about this:
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461530192_761578331_1_1/Darwin's_Hawk_Moth.html

its pretty neat, Darwin noticed that there were flowers that were a foot long, so he hypothesized that there must be a moth with a 12 inch proboscis because nothing else would be able to feed from and pollinate the flower.  Most scientists at the time called him crazy, but lo and behold, look what exists.

edit:  sorry that was so off topic, I didn't mean to try and steal your thunder ted.  Your moths are absolutely incredible!.  Where are they native to?


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## Dorcus (Jul 11, 2007)

Beautiful _Attacus atlas_. Where did you obtain the cocoons? I had to catch my specimens... The species seems to be quite widespread though. Ranging from Taiwan to Indonesia and Malaysia. I did not catch enough to do a comparative study on sizes though. Oh well...


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## sick4x4 (Jul 11, 2007)

zimbu said:


> you might be talking about this:
> http://encarta.msn.com/media_461530192_761578331_1_1/Darwin's_Hawk_Moth.html
> 
> its pretty neat, Darwin noticed that there were flowers that were a foot long, so he hypothesized that there must be a moth with a 12 inch proboscis because nothing else would be able to feed from and pollinate the flower.  Most scientists at the time called him crazy, but lo and behold, look what exists.
> ...


that would be it!! thanks


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## Spyder 1.0 (Jul 11, 2007)

i hope you preserved the bodies.


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## RoachGirlRen (Jul 11, 2007)

Stunning! I've always favored moths over butterflies, and those beauties are just one reason why. Lovely, thank you for sharing.


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## nepenthes (Jul 12, 2007)

The biggest Insect is some kind of beetle.


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## Dorcus (Jul 12, 2007)

Biggest or Longest? If longest, it'd definitely be a Phasmidae of some sort.


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## RodG (Jul 12, 2007)

Absolutely terrific critters  Great photos:clap:


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## Ted (Jul 12, 2007)

zimbu said:


> you might be talking about this:
> http://encarta.msn.com/media_461530192_761578331_1_1/Darwin's_Hawk_Moth.html
> 
> its pretty neat, Darwin noticed that there were flowers that were a foot long, so he hypothesized that there must be a moth with a 12 inch proboscis because nothing else would be able to feed from and pollinate the flower.  Most scientists at the time called him crazy, but lo and behold, look what exists.
> ...



cool link..those are cool as hell...i read about that some time ago..purely fascinating.
 and the atlas moths are native to southeast asia., also no worries..please feel free to post whatever you like..we share the forum.
I apologise that i hadn't checked back in this thread, and didnt see all these posts.


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## syndicate (Jul 12, 2007)

very cool moth!would love to see more pics.
also darwin is a genius!thats crazy.nice link zimbu


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## Ted (Jul 12, 2007)

spyderowner69 said:


> i hope you preserved the bodies.


indeed..i inject mine with large gauge needles with super glue gel in them.





RoachGirlRen said:


> Stunning! I've always favored moths over butterflies, and those beauties are just one reason why. Lovely, thank you for sharing.


much appreciated!





nepenthes said:


> The biggest Insect is some kind of beetle.


it is contested, as to what the largest is..it can be measure by weight[mass], or length.
it is debated to a great extent.
i have both the megasoma acteon and large goliathus goliathus..and working on a Titanus, which are rare..here is a great link to a nice discussion on the largest insects.
http://ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu/chap30.htm


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## Ted (Jul 12, 2007)

syndicate said:


> very cool moth!would love to see more pics.
> also darwin is a genius!thats crazy.nice link zimbu


ja..i was saddened to see how many files i have to resize, everything i have is huge..and so the daunting task lies ahead..i've just been lazy, but i will post plenty more as i do that!


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## cacoseraph (Jul 13, 2007)

Ted said:


> ja..i was saddened to see how many files i have to resize, everything i have is huge..and so the daunting task lies ahead..i've just been lazy, but i will post plenty more as i do that!


there are programs that let you resize groups of photos.  also, with MSPaint i can resize something like 8-10 pics a minute if i am just converting them all down to 25% original size or whatever.

i can't wait to see what other wonders you have to show us!


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## Dark (Jul 13, 2007)

Nice Pictures, I use to get moth cocoons in every once in a while, Luna Moths, the smaller red one you had on one of your hands, and the big brown ones with blue eyes on their backs, Although I have lost the site that sells them, but they are very cool enjoy.


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## Tleilaxu (Jul 13, 2007)

Where do you buy those and what do you feed them on? Are they available here in the US?


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## zimbu (Jul 14, 2007)

Ted said:


> ja..i was saddened to see how many files i have to resize, everything i have is huge..and so the daunting task lies ahead..i've just been lazy, but i will post plenty more as i do that!


can't wait to see em


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## Ted (Jul 14, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> there are programs that let you resize groups of photos.  also, with MSPaint i can resize something like 8-10 pics a minute if i am just converting them all down to 25% original size or whatever.
> 
> i can't wait to see what other wonders you have to show us!


cool!.thanks for the help..i am going to look into that.


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## Ted (Jul 14, 2007)

Tleilaxu said:


> Where do you buy those and what do you feed them on? Are they available here in the US?


live ones are highly illegal,in the U.S...i wasnt supposed to have them..but could not turn them down when the offer came by me.
mine were eating privet bush..luckily we had lots of it here.


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## Ted (Jul 14, 2007)

i get an error message saying that i have exceed my quota.
and the file sizes are well within limits..i think.[under 100k]


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## cacoseraph (Jul 16, 2007)

Ted said:


> i get an error message saying that i have exceed my quota.
> and the file sizes are well within limits..i think.[under 100k]


there is also a total attachment size limitation. i don't use attachments that much so i am not too familiar with the process... but i think you can have something like 5mb of pictures total, none of which can singly surpass 100kb


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## Ted (Jul 16, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> there is also a total attachment size limitation. i don't use attachments that much so i am not too familiar with the process... but i think you can have something like 5mb of pictures total, none of which can singly surpass 100kb


i figured it out..one just needs to use am image hosting site..like photobucket!


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## cacoseraph (Jul 16, 2007)

Ted said:


> i figured it out..one just needs to use am image hosting site..like photobucket!


yeah, that really is best, especially if you post on more than one forum.

one bit of advice, which would REALLY apply to someone with so many different types of animals as you... figure out your directory structure before hand, so you can logically find the picture you want without having to sort through tons.  cuz if you redo structuring you break all the old links and then all your old posts will have tons of broken image links in them


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## Ted (Jul 16, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> yeah, that really is best, especially if you post on more than one forum.
> 
> one bit of advice, which would REALLY apply to someone with so many different types of animals as you... figure out your directory structure before hand, so you can logically find the picture you want without having to sort through tons.  cuz if you redo structuring you break all the old links and then all your old posts will have tons of broken image links in them


i'm having a blonde moment..so bear with me..lol.
how do the links get broken ?.am not sure how that works!


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## Pulk (Jul 17, 2007)

if you have your pictures organized one way (like inverts --> insects --> moth photos --> atlas.jpg) and want to change it (inverts --> handling photos --> atlas.jpg) and you have to change the address for all your links to photos. but that's not a problem when they're uploaded to AB, obviously


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## Ted (Jul 17, 2007)

Pulk said:


> if you have your pictures organized one way (like inverts --> insects --> moth photos --> atlas.jpg) and want to change it (inverts --> handling photos --> atlas.jpg) and you have to change the address for all your links to photos. but that's not a problem when they're uploaded to AB, obviously


ah, cool!
thanks!


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

going to start up with some Phasmids i had, years ago..they enjoyed eating my cactus blooms while getting their pics taken. 
notice the way they curl their tails like a scorp, lol.


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

a few pics of some of my Texas finds..


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

:clap: awesome phasmids!  and look at all of those BEETLES!! i'm in heaven,ahh love the fierysearchers and those tigers,that big black 1(tiger)is that ambyshiela(spelling)? wow very impressive collection! beetles i love em all.


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## Dorcus (Jul 18, 2007)

Nice collection! Do I see _Phaneus mexicanus_?! Those are in TEXAS?! Nice find!

beetleman: Are you referring to the one in the first picture? No, that's not a _Amblycheila sp._ There are only 5 species in that genus that occur in North America: _A. baroni, A. cylindriformis, A. hoversoni, A. picolominii_, and _A. schwarzi_. I believe it to be a _Cicindela politula_.


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

thanks beetleman and Dorcus!

the Phaneus that you mentioned should be a Vindex..not the mexicanus..of course there could be intergrades..but i think mine are vindex who just happen to be remarkably nice.

as far as the tiger beetles go..i think that the giant one is a Amblycheila Cylindriformis.. mine is a wonderful metallic green..hard to see color in some of the pics..found it near louisiana!

the smaller blue and green ones are various smaller species from around texas.
generally mine are blue, green, or brownish with white spots.

i have many species of inverts, it mind boggling..i will try to get clearer and nicer pics of the native stuff.


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## Dorcus (Jul 18, 2007)

It's.... green? haha... Don't look it. Sorry then, beetleman.


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

in the meantime..heres a few of my exotics.
the largest of the butterflies has about an 8+ inch wingspan!
i mount all these at home.


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> It's.... green? haha... Don't look it. Sorry then, beetleman.


yeah..its really dark looking at most angles..but is a nice deep green!
giving I.d's by pict is a tough task..you guys are usually pretty spot on.:worship:


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

a few of my favorite beetles.. more to come!
the last pic are  Gloriosa  from texas..


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## Dorcus (Jul 18, 2007)

IDing is fun... okay... let's see lol...:
_Ornithoptera priamus arruana _(male) or impensus...grrr... can't tell
_Ornithoptera priamus impensus_ (female)
_Papilio ulysses_
_Morpho adonis huallaga_
_Papilio palinurus_
_Papilio memnon_ (either heronus or cremata) i think it's cremata
_Troides brookiana_
_Papilio Blumei_???_
Heliconius charitonius_
dang... can't remember the rest...


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## Dorcus (Jul 18, 2007)

Oh... beetles, didn't seem them.. lol:
_Dicronorhina derbyana derbyana _(reddish form??)
_Chiasognathus granti_ ???
_Chalcosoma atlas_
_Megasoma mars_


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

damned, Dorcus..you're doing a fine job at this..lol.
at least 98% accurate[some i cant recall the specific subspecies sci name]..arent that troides and huge priamus fantastic?

people i know laugh at me for chasing and collecting butterflies..but i remind them that i am evil nd mean enough to break my butterlfy net in half and kill them with it
they usually go away after that


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## Dorcus (Jul 18, 2007)

Yea, they are amazing... Did you catch these or buy them?
Nice collection! Got any Plusiotis? lol...

BTW: What's that "transparent" little butterfly? It's not _Godyris duillia_ and it's not _Greta oto_, so what is it? lol...


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## Matt K (Jul 18, 2007)

These pics make me want to add a new dimension to my bugroom....BEETLES !!  MOTHS !!!  So many cages, so little time.....


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> Yea, they are amazing... Did you catch these or buy them?
> Nice collection! Got any Plusiotis? lol...
> 
> BTW: What's that "transparent" little butterfly? It's not _Godyris duillia_ and it's not _Greta oto_, so what is it? lol...


oops..i posted the wrong name.
yes..the last pic are some of my Plusiotis Gloriosa, i think i have 50 something of those...and the ones i didnt post are my Chrysina Woodi..have 27 of those.

as far as the clearwing..i was trying to remember the i.d on that one..its been a while...it isnt a Greta..true..maybe a Pteronymia cotytto?..will have to think about that one.

as far as my catching them..i have collected some of them on a trip to Ceylon..many of the others were trades,gifts, or purchased

cant wait for my trip to Columbia this year, and likely Belize..gonna be incredible!!


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## Dorcus (Jul 18, 2007)

hmm...don't think it's a _Pteronymia cotytto_ because I think those have a white strip near the rim of the wing. They look very similar to _Greta morgane_

Why don't you mount those large beetles?


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> hmm...don't think it's a _Pteronymia cotytto_ because I think those have a white strip near the rim of the wing. They look very similar to _Greta morgane_
> 
> Why don't you mount those large beetles?


you are likely right..i was lazy in my assessment..lol.

as far as the big beetles..they are mounted now, i just need to find the pics i took:?


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> Nice collection! Do I see _Phaneus mexicanus_?! Those are in TEXAS?! Nice find!
> 
> beetleman: Are you referring to the one in the first picture? No, that's not a _Amblycheila sp._ There are only 5 species in that genus that occur in North America: _A. baroni, A. cylindriformis, A. hoversoni, A. picolominii_, and _A. schwarzi_. I believe it to be a _Cicindela politula_.


thanks yeah, your right on that,i wasn't sure.


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

Ted said:


> yeah..its really dark looking at most angles..but is a nice deep green!
> giving I.d's by pict is a tough task..you guys are usually pretty spot on.:worship:


 ahh i luv em all either way.


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## beetleman (Jul 18, 2007)

yeah, there are so many sp. of tigers it gets really confusing, man! you got alot beetles!:clap: :worship: keep em coming.


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## Ted (Jul 18, 2007)

beetleman said:


> ahh i luv em all either way.


me too..i have spent less and less time focusing on microscoping and more on the broad spectrum aspect.
i have thousands of specimens to catalog from dozens of trips, still in my freezer.
once you get started there seems to be no end.
if i wasnt A.D.D i would try to focus on a specific few groups.
i like to have tons of variation for the presentations i do sometimes.
most people have no idea just how many species there are in their state.


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## Dorcus (Jul 19, 2007)

Hey Ted,
You have any Gyandromorphs you can post for out viewing pleasure? lol...


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## Ted (Jul 19, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> Hey Ted,
> You have any Gyandromorphs you can post for out viewing pleasure? lol...


gynandromorphs..lol.i wish!!..í have a few defective specimens of giant silkmoths..but no dimorphic mishaps, as of yet...i do collect plenty of P. glaucas,
of both the black and yellow forms..so it's entirely possible by statistics, that i may end up with one.
that would be a day.


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## Dorcus (Jul 19, 2007)

haha... I have yet to see a gyandromorph of a P. glaucas. I saw one of a Morpho once... (at a museum of course); it was an A- specimen though... (minor scratch on apex, minor damage on wings)


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## lychas (Jul 19, 2007)

what sp is that mantid?


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## Pulk (Jul 19, 2007)

those are very very cool. :clap:


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## Dorcus (Jul 19, 2007)

lychas: Are you referring to the phasmid? I don't see any mantid.... If it's the phasmid, I believe the species to be _Extatosoma tiaratum_


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## lychas (Jul 19, 2007)

lol yes sorry, i ment phasmid, thought it looked like Extatosoma tiaratum, aussie native and very commonly kept here


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## Ted (Jul 19, 2007)

yeah..thats what they were. X.T's.


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## Stylopidae (Jul 20, 2007)

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.


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## cacoseraph (Jul 20, 2007)

Cheshire said:


> 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.


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


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## Ted (Jul 20, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> 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.
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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## Dorcus (Jul 20, 2007)

lol... and don't forget that some of us ARE zoo officals, entomologists, and work in institutions with permits.


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## cacoseraph (Jul 20, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> lol... and don't forget that some of us ARE zoo officals, entomologists, and work in institutions with permits.


*sigh* and some of us just fantasize about it while we toil away the day in our cubical


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## Ted (Jul 20, 2007)

Dorcus said:


> lol... and don't forget that some of us ARE zoo officals, entomologists, and work in institutions with permits.


you rulez the day, my friend!
:clap: 
i used to..but am a civilian collector now.


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## Stylopidae (Jul 21, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> 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'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.

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:



Ted said:


> live ones are highly illegal,in the U.S...i wasnt supposed to have them..but could not turn them down when the offer came by me.


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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## lychas (Jul 21, 2007)

wow, didnt know you had illegal inverts in america, what species are banned? why some phasmids?


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## Stylopidae (Jul 21, 2007)

lychas said:


> wow, didnt know you had illegal inverts in america, what species are banned? why some phasmids?


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.


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## Ted (Jul 21, 2007)

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:


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## Stylopidae (Jul 21, 2007)

Ted said:


> 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.


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).

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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## Ted (Jul 21, 2007)

Cheshire said:


> 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).
> 
> Consequently, this creates a very negative image of the hobby which frequently results in strict regulations.
> 
> ...


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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## Galapoheros (Jul 24, 2007)

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.


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## Ted (Aug 10, 2007)

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.


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## Stylopidae (Aug 11, 2007)

If you're still breeding them, I may be able to help you out with food.

I've found them on crabapple trees before and there's a ton of them around my area. Seeds wouldn't be hard to get.

Are you still breeding those?


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## Ted (Aug 11, 2007)

Cheshire said:


> If you're still breeding them, I may be able to help you out with food.
> 
> I've found them on crabapple trees before and there's a ton of them around my area. Seeds wouldn't be hard to get.
> 
> Are you still breeding those?


thank you very much, Cheshire.
I am not doing much with live inverts this year..i moved from that location and live in these condo's on the lake, but they are hellish with rules and regulations here...i probably wont be able to resume breeding till next year when i move.

i really do appreciate your kind offer, but alas, it may have to wait another 7 months.


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