Iridopsis defectaria,
adult male. Specimen reared ex
larva on Rhus trilobata. Larva collected
from Friends' Central School campus, Wynnewood, Montgomery Co.,
PA, August 2006.
While collecting new growth of Rhus trilobata to feed larvae of a
Nemoria species I was rearing, I accidentally collected this
larva along with a batch of bagged leaves. It lived several days in the
refrigerator unnoticed before I came upon it while taking out some leaf
material. Shortly after completing pupation, the pupa showed a
brilliant emerald green coloration (see image at bottom) that
later oxidized to a dark brown or ebony color.
