Page 376 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Saturniidae
DISTRIBUTION Much of southern Asia and China, Southeast Asia
HABITAT Tropical and subtropical forests
HOST PLANTS Deciduous trees and bushes, including Avocado (Persea
americana), cherry (Prunus spp.), lilac (Syringa spp.),
rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.), and willow (Salix spp.)
NOTE One of the world’s largest caterpillars
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common throughout most of its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
9–11 in (228–280 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
4½–4 in (114–127 mm)
ATTACUS ATLAS
ATLAS MOTH
374
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Atlas Moth caterpillars hatch from large, cream-colored eggs
with reddish-brown spots. The larvae eat almost anything
and sometimes leave one species of host plant for another—
a rare trait among caterpillars. All six instars look similar, and
with each successive instar the larva covers its body in a white,
waxy substance that resembles powder. It is thought that this
may help give the appearance of a fungus growing on the
caterpillar, making it unappetizing to predators. The powder
can become so thick that the actual color of the caterpillar is

The Atlas Moth caterpillar is a translucent completely obscured.
greenish blue covered in darker “freckles” and
also in non-urticating spines. A row of blackish
“hair” runs along the sides of the body. There The baggy cocoons are usually spun up among the leaves
is a ring of pinkish orange on the hind claspers.
of the food plant and attached by a strong peduncle. They are
smaller than might be expected given the size of the emerging
adults—among the world’s largest moths —and so durable that
in Chinese Taipei they are made into coin purses. The brightly
colored adult is also known as the Snake’s Head Moth for the
snakelike markings on the forewing tips.

Actual size