Emperor Gum Moth is a photograph by Kaye Menner which was uploaded on September 8th, 2013.
Emperor Gum Moth
The moth in this photograph was a female as she was starting to lay eggs. Her wing span was 6 inches or 150 cm. I had never seen a moth this... more
by Kaye Menner
Buy the Original Photograph
Price
Not Specified
Dimensions
4288.000 x 2848.000 pixels
This original photograph is currently for sale. At the present time, originals are not offered for sale through the Fine Art America secure checkout system. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about purchasing this original.
Click here to contact the artist.
Title
Emperor Gum Moth
Artist
Kaye Menner
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The moth in this photograph was a female as she was starting to lay eggs. Her wing span was 6 inches or 150 cm. I had never seen a moth this big!
A moth is an insect related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Most of this order are moths; there are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth (nearly ten times the number of species of butterfly), with thousands of species yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are crepuscular and diurnal species.
EMPEROR GUM MOTH:
This large moth is common around Sydney and is attracted to street lights at night.
Distribution:
The Emperor Gum Moth is found in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. Introduced to New Zealand.
Habitat:
The Emperor Gum Moth lives in forests and woodlands.
Life cycle:
The Emperor Gum Moth glues its eggs onto Eucalyptus leaves, which the large green caterpillars eat when they emerge. The caterpillars are covered in protective spines and build a tough cocoon in which to pupate. They may reinforce this cocoon with bark and remain inside it for one or more years depending on environmental conditions. The adults emerge in summer. The life span of adult Emperor Gum Moths is limited to only a couple of weeks because they are unable to feed. They must rely solely on the energy consumed as caterpillars.
Classification:
Species: eucalypti,
Genus: Opodiphthera
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Family: Saturniidae
Superfamily: Bombycoidea
Order: Lepidoptera
Class: Insecta
Subphylum: Uniramia
Phylum: Arthopoda
Kingdom: Animalia
- See more at: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Emperor-Gum-Moth#sthash.o0mzM5l3.dpuf
Uploaded
September 8th, 2013
More from Kaye Menner
Comments (15)
Kaye Menner
Thank you for your comment and v/f, Sunny. I had never seen a moth this big either. They say they are common around Sydney, but this is the biggest I have seen.