Family: Saturniidae
Sub-Family: Saturniinae
Sub-Family: Saturniinae
Species: Attacus atlas Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s): The Atlas Moth
Photography location: Hanoi
This species is interesting for two reasons:
first, it is listed (as Rare) in Vietnam's Red Data Book of threatened species
(Vietnamese: Sách đỏ Việt Nam). Secondly, it is a magnificent creature
with a wingspan of around 25-30 cm! It is the world's biggest moth, not by
wingspan but by wing surface area. This mating pair was an amazing sight.
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of a wide range of trees, from the carambola to cinnamon, lime, pomelo, rambutan, guava, citrus fruits.
The wing tips are hooked and some say resemble
a snake's head complete with eye, to scare off predators!
Its name in Vietnamese is Bướm khế (=
carambola tree butterfly).
