Lorquin's Atlas Moth (Male)

Description:

This moth, with wingspan of about 10 inches, was rescued by my Mom from one of her cats. The left wing was almost already totally destroyed when she got hold of it. It died the following day, sad to say. Attacus lorquinii (C. & R. Felder, 1861), called Lorkin's Atlas Moth. Atlas moths, of the superfamily Bombycoidea, family Satuniidae, are the largest species of moth in the world. The females have bigger, heavier bodies than males and larger wingspans too, ranging from 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches), with a surface area of at least 400 cm² (62 sq in). Despite their huge size, the moths do not eat anything once they hatch from their cocoons. Both males and females lack fully-formed mouth parts; they rely on the sustenance they build up as caterpillars, for stored energy. They only live as hatched moths for two to three weeks. The natural habitat of the atlas moth, is Southeast Asia, particularly around the Malay archipelago. They do not fly far from where they hatch, since they are very inelegant fliers and do not have enough energy stored for long journeys. They live purely to breed, so the fact that they do not venture far from their hatching area, allows for easy mating to occur.

Habitat:

Backyard.

Notes:

Reference: http://www.factzoo.com/insects/atlas-mot.... http://www.lepbarcoding.org/saturnidae/s.... http://www.insect-sale.com/photo.asp?pho.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atl....