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Copaxa Moth

Copaxa lavendera

Description:

A spectacular yellow female of the Silkworm Moth Copaxa lavender. She has a wing span of almost 8 cm! She arrived about 2 in the morning and was very tame. Her body is furry yellow with pink legs and well marked spiracles on the abdomen. Family Saturniidae.

Habitat:

Came to an ultraviolet light in the garden, San Cristobal de Las Casas, 2,200 meters.

Notes:

Several children in the neighborhood were present for the first night of Moth Week Explorations and were thrilled and fascinated when this one came. This moth has a relatively small distribution from southern Mexico to Honduras.

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14 Comments

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 9 years ago

Thank you Bill, I hadn't realized we had two species of Copaxa here! Very neat.

BillOehlke
BillOehlke 9 years ago

Yes, very nice images of a female Copaxa lavendera. The link to the male shows a Copaxa cydippe male. The male of lavendera is orangey, but also has the very large ocelli, like those of the female, not small as in cydippe.
Bill Oehlke

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Thank you Terri :)

TerriAllenVinson
TerriAllenVinson 10 years ago

great photos! such a beautiful moth!

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Thank you Karen. Hope this one had a happy, if short, life....

KarenL
KarenL 10 years ago

National Moth Week Fun Fact! The family Saturniidae refers moths in this family with eyespots. These eyespots usually have rings around them, resembling the planet Saturn. Moths in the family Saturniidae also have reduced or lack mouthparts and depend on fat reserves from their larval stages to live. As a result of this, many moths in the Saturniidae family live for only about a week, solely for the purpose of keeping their species alive.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Thank you outside girl :)

outsidegirl0
outsidegirl0 10 years ago

very pretty!

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Thank you dotun. It sure does look like your pink and yellow one! There must be some genetic relationship between them - far back in Pangea... :)

Dotun's Nigerian Moth: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/278...

dotun55
dotun55 10 years ago

Looks like one of mine. The second photo is very nice :)

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Thank you Carol! :)

Carol Snow Milne
Carol Snow Milne 10 years ago

What a simply gorgeous moth!

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 10 years ago

Thank you so much Adarsha :)

Adarsha B S
Adarsha B S 10 years ago

Fabulous details :) Love it :)

LaurenZarate
Spotted by
LaurenZarate

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Spotted on Jul 20, 2013
Submitted on Jul 21, 2013

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