''Actias gnoma'', also known as the Japanese moon moth, is a moth in the family
Saturniidae
Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...
The species was first described by
Arthur Gardiner Butler
Arthur Gardiner Butler F.L.S., F.Z.S. (27 June 1844 – 28 May 1925) was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist. He worked at the British Museum on the taxonomy of birds, insects, and spiders.
Biography
Arthur Gardiner Butl ...
in 1877. It is found in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
.
Adults are light greenish blue with a raised and sparse scale cover. A single postmedial fascia is found on the forewings. The eyes are small, mostly with a fine black frame (although this is sometimes absent). The inner half of the eye is narrower than the outer one. The apex of the hindwings is usually pointed.
[ (2011)]
"The ''Actias'' Leach, 1815, in the Far East: how many species?"
''Neue Entomologische Nachrichten''. 67: 40-56.
Subspecies
*''Actias gnoma gnoma''
(Butler, 1877)
*''Actias gnoma mandschurica''
(Staudinger, 1892)
*''Actias gnoma miyatai''
Inoue, 1976 (Japan:
Hachijō-jima
is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea. It is about south of the special wards of Tokyo. It is part of the Izu archipelago and within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Its only municipality is Hachijō. On 1 March 2018, its po ...
)
References
Moths described in 1877
Moths of Asia
{{Saturniidae-stub