Description of the Life Stages of Carina forda Westwood (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

All the development stages of Cirina forda Westwood, i.e. egg; 1 to 6 instar larvae; pupa and the adult were described and illustrated with particular emphasis on the mature, edible, commercially utilized 6th larval instar. Eggs that are in clusters are small, oval, 1.68mm long and 1.38mm wide. An average of 50 eggs is about 0.065g. C. forda larva has a dark-brown head and anal shields and greenish-black trunk with yellow blotches. The pupa is obtect, adecticous, highly sclerotised, smooth and robust. Two distinct slits occurring on segments A8 and A9 of the female pupa represent apertures of the bursa corpulatrix and the oviduct. The adult is generally brown and has alar expanse of 10cm with very small eye spots located on both hind wings. This detailed description is to enhance recognition of the larvae and to avoid the inedible closely related larval types