DR006-2 Nyridela xanthocera Hatchling

The first hatchling wriggling its way out of the 1mm diameter egg. The others were beginning to show signs of getting ready to also hatch, so it was touch and go whether we would get home before the rest. It was a real problem, as we had no idea what the foodplant would be, and searches on the internet weren't clear. One site suggested Wild Ackee, so we got a print and began searching the tracks around the hotel. As we had a number of these moths in for each night we trapped, it had to be nearby, but we had no success, even asking the hotel gardeners if they knew of it. Resorting in desperation to picking small leaves of various shrubs, to see if any were acceptable, but no success. A few larvae died as we tried and tried all sorts of leaves. So in the end, the rest of the eggs were packed to bring them home with us on the following day. After an uneventful trip back, I was quickly able to select likely leaves from our surrounding countryside. After losing another few which hatched as we arrived home, I finally got success with Elm (Ulmus) and to a lesser extent Sallow (Salix), as small deposits of frass started appearing.