Instar Advice

[Old Wolf]

I am raising some Purple Hairstreaks for the first time and things are not going as easily as I had hoped they would. I think that my larva may be advancing too quickly with one inparticular pictured below. This particular larve didn't move for two days and it appeared to shrink and darken, I actually thought it may be dead but yesterday morning it was next to it's moulted skin and was looking bigger than it was before.

As far as I am aware they have only moulted once so I am hoping second instar but fear it may be third and I didn't see the first one! I have tried using the guides here to work it out fr myself but cannot tell for sure.

I am hoping someone will be able to tell me which instar it is for definate.

[bugboy]

Hi Wolf, you've picked a tricky species to rear, the Hairstreaks are somewhat notorious for growing to fast in captivity. Why this should be I don't know and I'm not sure anyone has the answer.

It's difficult to say with certainty what instar your one is but I'm going to plump for 2nd. Going by Pete's book that's what it looks most like. 2nd instar are 4mm well fully grown whereas 3rds are 10mm when fully grown so that should help.

I've never attempted to rear them but I know others have so they may be able to give you some tips, Pauline and obviously Pete amongst them.

[Pete Eeles]

I'd say second instar too - given the size and colour of the patch on the first segment, which is darker in the 2nd instar than 3rd instar.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Old Wolf]

Thanks for the help Bugboy and Pete.

This is what I was hoping for as I made a rather large mistake when interpreting the guide I am following. The misunderstanding was that it mentioned to keep the twigs on a sunny window sill which is what i did but I also took this to mean the twigs with the larva on them too which is where I kept them. This I thought was to ensure the buds continued to green to keep the food source fresh and I now realise that his was more than likely a mistake due to the warm sunny weather we had prior to the snow and temperature drop.

They hatched on the 22nd and 23rd and the moults took place on the 2nd and 3rd with the other larva now in the process as of today, so I feel this may still be a little bit too quickly as the book I have states about 2 weeks. My only hope is that the wild larva will be roughly of the same stage as they would have experienced the warm weather too, though perhaps not quite as warm as my little fellas.

They are now outside in a rearing pen so hopefully the natural temperature will allow things to progress at a more natural pace as long as I don't lose them!

I really am finding this rearing business very stressfull.