![]() A parasitic fly deliberately introduced to North America to be a biological control for the invasive species gypsy moth appears to have had a negative impact on Luna moths and other native moths. The elongated tails of the hindwings are thought to confuse the echolocation detection used by predatory bats. As defense mechanisms, larvae emit clicks as a warning and also regurgitate intestinal contents, confirmed as having a deterrent effect on a variety of predators. Across Canada, it has one generation per year, with the winged adults appearing in late May or early June, whereas farther south it will have two or even three generations per year, the first appearance as early as March in southern parts of the United States. Typically, it has a wingspan of roughly 114 mm (4.5 in), but can exceed 178 mm (7.0 in), making it one of the larger moths in North America. The larvae (caterpillars) are also green. It has lime-green colored wings and a white body. The Luna moth (Actias luna) is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly known as giant silk moths. Dysphania alloides, which was described from the Andaman Islands, was originally considered a subspecies. Several similar species, including Dysphania subrepleta, occur in the region and some are very closely related. It flies during the day and because of its bright colours it is often mistaken for a butterfly. Forewings of male produced, long and narrow. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. False tiger moth ©Jeffreycfyĭysphania militaris is a species of moth of the family Geometridae that is found from in the tropical regions of South and Southeast Asian countries such as China, India, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Sumatra and Java. For this reason, the Oleander Hawk Moth is also called an Army Green Moth. This patchwork of green resembles camouflage fatigues issued in the military. The African deaths-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos) is the largest moth in the British Isles, with a wingspan of 5 in (13 cm) it is a powerful flier, having sometimes been found on ships far from land. The wings are a collage of green colors ranging from light green to olive to dark forest green. An adult’s wingspan can stretch to almost 10cm (4 inches). This member of the Sphinx Moth family is large like its cousins. Native to Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe, the Oleander Hawk Moth arrived in Hawaii in the 1970’s. ![]() The Oleander Hawk Moth is a large, sleek moth that thrives in warm climates and hides among dense lush green foliage. Detecting her advertisement, he flies to find the waiting female, mates, and his story is over. Instead, the female gets to work releasing a potent airborne perfume (pheromone) that attracts males from a distance. Without mouths, these moths are not distracted by pesky necessities such as feeding. Living up to two weeks (and longer than one night if the males are very lucky), as soon as they emerge from their cocoons, it’s business time. Despite reaching a gargantuan size, these adult moths don’t get a lot of time to frolic around in the trees. They are native to the rainforests of northern Queensland and New Guinea. Males are more lightly built and have long tails on the hindwings. The largest Hercules female ever found was reported to have reached 36cm. Adult female Hercules moths have a wingspan of around 27cm, consistently charting as one of the world’s biggest species of moth. What is really unusual, is that it could stand upright on its hind legs with its tail acting as a tripod support, just like a kangaroo! It could hop short distances which was its quickest form of getaway when it was frightened or alarmed.The Hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules) might not have super strength and a history of heroic deeds, but it does grow to an astonishing size. This, together with its rigid tail, gave the Thylacine a stiff awkward walk not suitable for sprinting. It also had a strong stiff tail similar to that of a kangaroo. ![]() The Thylacine had strong hind legs which were longer than its front legs. That’s not the only similarity to other marsupials. It acted like a protective sheath to cover their external reproductive organs when running through thick bush. Oddly enough, Thylacine males had pouches too. It had the characteristic pouch of other Australian national treasures such as the wombat, koala and kangaroo. In most marsupial species, only females possess pouches, which they use to suckle and protect their young. In fact, this was no tiger or Tasmanian Wolf, as it was also known, but a marsupial and therefore not closely related to cats or dogs at all. It earned its more common name at the time, Tasmanian Tiger, because of the distinctive tiger-like stripes along its lower back and tail. Over 80 years ago the last Thylacine sadly died at Hobart Zoo. ![]()
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