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Closeup images of Polyphemus eggs. Note the brown stripe and the flattened shape.
More closeup images of Polyphemus larvae hatching.
Here are images of the cocoon (note the leaf wrapped around the outside) and a cut-away view of the pupa inside.
Here is a shot of the emerging female Polyphemus, and another of her as she hangs in preparation for inflating her wings. Oddly, she never did inflate them. Instead she just climbed to the top of the cage and scented for a couple of days and then began laying eggs. A male was placed in the cage with her, but it doesn't appear that a successful mating took place. Maybe better luck next year!
This is a male emerging on 3-10-2005...
This video clip shows the adult cracking the pupal shell, crawling free (with a little help!), and finally the "blood" pumping though the center part of its abdomen. The blood pumping action appears to be independant of the wing inflation function, and occurs in larvae as well.
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