''Syntherata janetta'' is a

moth 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 w ...

of 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 ...

, commonly known as the emperor moth.

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is about and variable in color from yellowish to brown or purplish-grey. The wings have zigzag markings, sometimes with dark splotches, and a small circular spot on each wing. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e are large greenish spiny caterpillars that feed on various plants, including '' Euodia elleryana'', '' Geijera salicifolia'', ''

Glochidion ferdinandi ''Glochidion ferdinandi'', with common names that include cheese tree (see below), is a species of small to medium–sized trees, constituting part of the plant family Phyllanthaceae. They grow naturally across eastern Australia, from south–eas ...

'', '' Petalostigma quadriloculare'', ''

Aegiceras ''Aegiceras '' is a genus of trees and shrubs from Southeast Asia, Malesia, Australia and the Pacific Island,. and in Australia, in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia. They occur as mangroves in coastal ...

'', ''

Ceriops ''Ceriops'' is a genus of mangroves in family Rhizophoraceae. There are 5 accepted species and 17 known synonyms. List of species * ''Ceriops australis'' (C.T.White) Ballment, T.J.Sm. & J.A.Stoddart ** ''Ceriops tagal'' var. ''australis'' C.T ...

'', ''

Timonius rumphii ''Timonius'' is a genus of plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is the second most specious genus in the family in Papua New Guinea, containing about 80 species known to science,Bryan, J.E., Shearman, P.L. (Eds.). 2015. The State of the Forests of ...

'' and '' Podocarpus spinulosus''.

Habitat and range

Syntherata janetta are found in heavily forested areas including rainforest in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and in coastal eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as far south as

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

. Image:Emperor_Moth_Top.JPG, Canungra, Queensland

References

External links

Australian Insects

Australian Faunal Directory
Saturniinae Moths described in 1843 {{Saturniidae-stub