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Photo#606032
Moth pupa - Antheraea polyphemus

Moth pupa - Antheraea polyphemus
Vallecito, Calaveras County, California, USA
December 28, 2011
Size: 4cm
We found this in leaf duff on the ground, under the edge of the canopy of an oak near a pond on private acreage. We had not seen anything like this before; it has something loose inside, feels like thin, sturdy styrofoam (but looks woven up close). It seems to have what look like seams, and has leaf impressions and partial leaves wrapped around it. Since other things around (like mushrooms in the ground) were dessicated, we thought this was not live. I cut along one edge to see what was inside, and there is a brown pupa which turned out to be live;a friend saw it move. There is air space inside and no apparent soft silk. I've since placed the whole thing in a container with partially damp substrate to await what happens. The pupa itself seems to be at least 3cm.

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Moth pupa - Antheraea polyphemus Moth pupa - Antheraea polyphemus Moth pupa - Antheraea polyphemus

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

looks to me like
a polypheous cocoon..be sure you have a stick in the container tohang on and inflate its wings..and keep it where the temps are same as outdoors.

 
looks slimmer
Will do (though it's ~15-25 degrees warmer outside at night here than where I found it). And since I cut a slit in the side of the cocoon, will it be bothered by small things getting in there?

From what I can see through the slit, it doesn't look as fat as the couple images I found, like: and
and does look a bit different.

 
The two images that are in the comment
are both pictures of male pupae. Maybe the cocoon you found was female, and that is why it looked different.

 
im not sure of what you mean by small things
since the coccon has been opened it ought to be sheltered from predators. i've used large plastic containers from the dollar store and then hung just a piece of fabric down to the bottom of the container (tucked under the lid) so the moths could hang..nothing else in the container, but a couple drops of water..as to it being skinny..?? dunno..it sure looks like a polly coccon

 
small things
Would things like booklice or carpet beetles bother it (e.g. if I left the container open or with cheesecloth cover by a screened window, it would keep out big things, but not necessarily those.)

 
right!
i've had carpet beetle like things get at a bare pupa before..which is why i would keep it in the plastic,..also..remember its open..it could dry out..altho people open them all the time and they seem to do fine..myself i'd go with the plastic..lidded and nothing organic in there for safety of the pupa.

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