Fascinating and Wonderfully Colorful Moths

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth (about ten times the number of species of butterfly), with thousands of species yet to be described. The colorful and beautiful Madagascan Sunset Moth was first described by the British entomologist Dru Drury in 1773, and is one of the few day-flying moths. It is found year round all over the island, with the populations reaching a peak between March and August, there being far fewer at other times of year. This spectacular moth is considered to be one of the most impressive and beautiful in the world.

The colorful  Royal Walnut Moth is native to North America. This majestic moth , with a wingspan of up to 7in, is the world’s largest moth in terms of mass.

The Atlas moth, considered the largest in the world, with total wing surface area of around 62 sq in., and wingspan of up to 12in, is found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southern Asia and Malaya. Females are normally much bigger and heavier than males. In India Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk, which is secreted as broken strands. This brown, wool-like silk is thought to have greater durability and is known as ‘fagara’.

Bee Robber Moth

The Hercules is one of the largest moth species in the world, with a wingspan of roughly one foot.  The wonderfully subtle brown wings of both males and females have triangular transparent ‘windows’

The unique and intricately designed Oleander Hawk-moth is a large hawk-moth that inhabits wide areas of Asia and Africa. This migratory species flies to eastern and southern Europe during summer. Its caterpillar is pale blue and change to green as it grows. These types of moth have been much studied for their flying ability, especially their ability to move rapidly from side to side while hovering, called ‘swing-hovering.

One of the giant silk moths, the Polyphemus It is a tan colored moth, with an average six inch wingspan Native to the whole of the North American continent; it is even found as far south as Mexico.One of the most striking features its large, purplish eye-spots on the hind wings.

This very plain colored but uniquely patterned moth commonly known as White Witchis considered to be that with the biggest wingspan in the moth world, which can be up to 12in, though the Atlas Moth has a much larger wing area.  The large moth with a wingspan of up to 13 cm can be found in the Philippines, Japan, and India and in many parts of the Oriental region