Ranchman's tiger moth - Arctia virginalis Kaslo S. Rd., ~ 2.7 km SW of Mirror Lake, Central Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada June 1, 2008
It must have been a good year for this species as I found 16 larvae in half an hour. It was a cool, pleasant morning (around 5:30 a.m.). Everything was covered in dew, including the larvae. They were sitting exposed on rocks, dead twigs and nearby vegetation. Two larvae died of unknown causes and another one was parasitised by two tachinid larvae. Pupation took place between June 9 - 13. Only 5 males emerged, the rest were females. Both sexes came in the black or yellow hindwing morphs. The series of photos that follows is of an adult emerged on June 18 (2008).
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