The Atlas Moth, “Attacus atlas,” is the worlds largest moth, when judged by wing area. Found in tropical and sub-tropical rainforest’s from Southern China to Indonesia.
Atlas Moth’s produce silk similar to the Silkworm Moth although it is produced in broken strands and they are not commercially farmed on a large scale.
This pair of moths, the male is the smaller of the two in the photograph were found along with seven other Atlas Moths in a citrus tree in the field behind my home in Thailand. I was able to measure a female moth which had a wingspan of 20.2 cm(8.75 inches) although this is by no means the largest recorded since specimens have been found with wingspans of 10-12 inches.
The moths have a 1-2 week life cycle and the ones I saw today were busy preparing the next generation by laying eggs on the leafs of the tree. The moths do not have fully formed mouths so do not feed from the moment of metamorphosis until death. There were also several cocoons hanging in the tree.
The moths current conservation status is endangered so I consider myself extremely lucky to have found and photographed this beautiful creature.
Equipment: Canon EOS 1000D 55mm Lens
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