LONGEVITY AND WEIGHT LOSS OF FREE· FLYING MALE CECROPIA MOTHS, HYALOPHORA CECROPIA (LEPIDOPTERA: SATURNIIDAE)

Abstract

During the ir spring night ~a.'W n. free-ranging male cecropia moths lived a maximum of 12 days (one of 124 recaptu red moths of 387 relea~d moths). The number of survivors declined precipitiously after day fi ve: five to seven days is probably the usual life span. The rcraptured moths did not have different initial weights than tho~ that were not recaptured. The larger the moth the more absolute weight it lost and the faster it lost weight during tne first few days. A moth lost about 20% of its we ight during the fiTht night of night and accumulated about a 40% we ight loss during the remainder of its life.