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Kleinmond fat tussock to grub-like female and eeeep! A male visitor!

15 Oct 2015:

Collected a rather fat little tussock larva on Erica serrata. This one had a red head, blueish body with red feet and red warning lights on the back (what are those, did anyone ever find a good answer?) (4 caterpillar photos are from the next day)

18 Oct 2015:

Caterpillar started spinning a cocoon in its tub (caterpillar in cocoon photo is from the next day)

22 Oct 2015:

I've noticed that the pupa seemed unusually fat, and when I checked it was clear that this creature has already metamorphosed into a grub-like female adult, only four days after starting its cocoon! I'm not even sure that it ever went through a pupal faze, could it be? (adult female photo is from the next day)

24 Oct 2015:

This morning there were two eggs in the cocoon with my fat little female, so I took her out to take photos. She had been safely closed up until now, but it often happens that freshly emerged female moths start laying unfertilised eggs without being visited by a male. While I was busy I noticed a sudden frantic orange flutter on the stoep around us, and the next minute there was a male moth in my female's tub. He had no trouble finding her and very quickly bit a hole through her cocoon, crawled in, spent a few seconds quietly by her side and then chewed his way out again. By the timestamps on my photos I can tell that the whole visit lasted all of six minutes, of which just about half had both moths inside the cocoon. Talk about wham bam thank you mam! I brought the female back into my office and left her uncovered by an open window next to me, but there were no further signs of any visitors. (gif image and photos of attending male, note one previously laid egg visible at the bottom of the cocoon)

25 Oct 2015:

More eggs. She has been writhing about in her cocoon, and has by now shrunk to about half her original adult size. I will keep the eggs to see if our little guy managed to get a few fertilised. (photo of female with eggs in cocoon)

3 Nov 2015:

The eggs hatched! This morning the cocoon was still intact and filled with hatchlings, by evening they had started to chew through and I was able to take a few pictures of their tiny, hairy bodies. I'm curious to find out how much of their original home they will consume - they don't yet show any interest in the fresh food plant I've supplied.

5 Nov 2015:

The hatchlings have broken free of the cocoon, which ended up in their tummies, mostly. I think the orange thing that was left behind is their mother's final exuviae from before she pupated; everything else is gone. 0_0 They have been marching upwards ever since, still not terribly interested in their food plant. I can see how wind dispersal would work for them. They weigh almost nothing and the long hairs make them fly off on the tiniest breath, and there appear to be millions so chances are that some will land on an appropriate plant if a breeze takes them. Opening the lid of their new tub is like facing a zombie attack! They keep slowly marching up the sides and along the rim, and it's a struggle to get them all off on all sides so I can close the lid without squashing any.

Dia 82, un individuo.

Day 82, one individual.

Relacionado con // Related to:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2667158
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2667199
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2667420

I do not know if my image and sound go together. I want to know what is making the high pitched sound in the foreground? There are regular crickets calling in the background.

This cricket looked a bit different to the usual black field cricket (smaller and lighter in colour with red knees) maybe it was making the sound?