Atlas moth
| Atlas moth | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Atlas moth ( Attacus atlas ) |
||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Attacus atlas | ||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The Atlas moth ( Attacus atlas ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the peacock moth (Saturniidae). It is one of the largest butterflies in the world and was named after the Titan Atlas from Greek mythology.
features
_(30).jpg)
With a wingspan of 25 to 30 centimeters, the moths are among the largest known butterflies and have the largest wing surface of this group of animals with 400 cm². Females grow larger than males. The body of the animals is small in relation to the length of the wings. Fore and hind wings have a similar pattern. The basic color is yellow-brown to red-brown. In the brown middle field of all four wings there is a characteristic, unscaled and therefore hyaline translucent, black-edged triangular spot. Another smaller glass spot can appear costalward from this spot, which may be connected to the outer transverse line. The middle field is bordered proximally and basally by black, white, pink and gray-violet transverse lines. The wings are very broad, the yellowish tip of the forewing wide, bluntly sickle-shaped. Some human observers believe that the wing tips mimicked snakeheads and could thereby scare off enemies. The undersides of the wings are roughly colored like the tops, but paler. The males have short, long-feathered antennae , those of the females are shorter-pinnate. The mouthparts of the moths are stunted.
The caterpillars reach a length of up to 11.5 centimeters. They are blue-green in color and have long, fleshy appendages on their backs that are powdered white. Their belly legs are thick and spherical. The abdomen of the animals is strangely shaped and has two large, light green spots with an orange border on the sides.
Occurrence
The animals are found in Southeast Asia , southern China , India and the Japanese Yaeyama Islands ( Ishigaki , Iriomote , Yonaguni ). They live in tropical and subtropical forests.
Way of life
Since the moths cannot eat any food, they only have a short life expectancy of around two weeks in the imaginal stage .
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on a variety of different plants, such as B. of Muntingia calabura , guanabana ( Annona muricata ), Ceylon cinnamon tree ( Cinnamomum verum ), rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum ), guava ( Psidium guajava ) and citrus fruits . Terminalia catappa was tested as a host plant for better breeding .
Mating and development
The females send out pheromones to attract males to mate . They do not fly far after hatching and settle down nearby in a suitable position that is favorable in the wind. The males can locate them with their large antennae over great distances. After mating, the female lays her approximately 2.5 millimeter eggs on the underside of the caterpillar forage plants. The caterpillars hatch after about two weeks. When these are fully developed, they need about four weeks of pupal rest before the new generation of butterflies hatches. Pupation takes place in a parchment-like cocoon .
Economic use
Fagara silk is made from the cocoons of the Atlas moth . It is light brown and much more robust than ordinary silk . The cocoon of the animals does not consist of a single, but of many short threads. The Fagara silk is of little economic importance.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ ヨ ナ グ ニ サ ン . In: 理科 教材 デ ー タ ベ ー ス . 岐阜 大学 教育 学部 理科 教育 講座 (“Chair of Science Education, Faculty of Education, Gifu University”), accessed on December 31, 2012 (Japanese).
- ↑ RP Kavane: Terminalia catappa - A potential new host of fagara Silkmoth Attacus atlas Linn. (Lepidoptera- Saturniidae) from Western Maharashtra. In: Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies. 2014; 2 (6): 179-182, online (PDF; 463 kB), on entomoljournal.com, accessed on March 2, 2017.
literature
- Paul Sterry: Butterflies and Moths: A Portrait of the Animal World . Smithmark, 1995, ISBN 978-0-8317-0889-4 .
