|
Moths Of North America
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are also crepuscular and diurnal species. Differences between butterflies and moths While the butterflies form a monophyletic group, the moths, comprising the rest of the Lepidoptera, do not. Many attempts have been made to group the superfamilies of the Lepidoptera into natural groups, most of which fail because one of the two groups is not monophyletic: Microlepidoptera and Macrolepidoptera, Heterocera and Rhopalocera, Jugatae and Frenatae, Monotrysia and Ditrysia.Scoble, MJ 1995. The Lepidoptera: Form, function and diversity. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 404 p. Although the rules for distinguishing moths from butterflies are not well establishe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attacus Atlas
''Attacus atlas'', the Atlas moth, is a large Saturniidae, saturniid moth endemic to the forests of Asia. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Description The Atlas moth is one of the largest lepidopterans, with a wingspan measuring up to and a wing surface area of about 160 cm2 (≈25 in2). It is only surpassed in wingspan by the Thysania agrippina, white witch (''Thysania agrippina'') and ''Attacus caesar'', and in wing surface area by the Coscinocera hercules, Hercules moth (''Coscinocera hercules''). As in most Lepidoptera, females are noticeably larger and heavier than males, while males have broader antenna (biology), antennae. The body is disproportionately small compared to the wings. The upperside of the wings are reddish brown with a pattern of black, white, pink, and purple lines and triangular, scale-less windows bordered in black. The undersides of the wings are pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
