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Photo#453572
Olethreutinae, larva - Endothenia hebesana

Olethreutinae, larva - Endothenia hebesana
Plymouth Rock, Winneshiek County, Iowa, USA
November 12, 2003
Larva found in my collection of seeds of Cream gentian, Gentiana alba.
First larvae I ever tried to rear.

Images of this individual: tag all
Olethreutinae, larva - Endothenia hebesana Olethreutinae, larva - Endothenia hebesana

larva in Gentiana alba
Thank you so much for posting this. I was cleaning some Cream Gentian (Gentiana alba) and found a number of them. I am going to see if I can raise them. This will be my first as well. Can you tell me how you took the photo and with what equipment, please?

 
You are so welcome.
As I posted, this was the very first larva I ever tried to rear. First try was unsuccessful but I think the second try, several larvae not just one, was successful. I was very disappointed, however, to find that this little moth larva eats many, many different hosts. I had only found it on cream gentian, in fact, on a lot of cream gentian when I cleaned seed. Now at least I recognize it when I find it on wood betony, wild petunia, and others.

At the time I used my neighbor's dissecting microscope putting a camera at one of the eye pieces. This was also one of the first times I had used a microscope and it opened a whole new world for me. Several years later I was able to buy a microscope of my own and I would be hard pressed, if given the choice, as to which to part with: the car or the microscope.

Careful now, you might just get hooked on rearing different larvae and pupae you find.

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