The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a captivating insect native to Southeast Asia, celebrated for its impressive size, striking wing patterns, and abbreviated lifespan. This article delves into the dietary habits of the Atlas moth during its larval stage, its unique adult characteristics, life cycle, habitat, and other interesting facts.
Atlas Moth: An Introduction
Belonging to the family Saturniidae, which comprises over 2,000 unique moth species, the Atlas moth is a remarkable creature. Its scientific name, Attacus atlas, is derived from its large size and the map-like patterns adorning its wings. The Cantonese term for the Atlas moth translates to "snake's head moth," alluding to the snake-like resemblance of its wing markings, a feature that serves as a defense mechanism against potential predators.
Physical Characteristics
Atlas moths can be identified by their distinctive wing markings. The top outer edge of each wing has a point that sticks out which looks similar to a snake’s head. Male Atlas moths are smaller than females. Their bodies range in length from 30 to 36 millimeters and their wingspan is between 210 and 230 millimeters. Larger females have a body length of 39 to 40 millimeters and a wingspan of 240 to 250 millimeters. Keep in mind, that 250 millimeters is nearly 10 inches! Now you see why they named this moth after a Titan of Greek mythology. The atlas moth is second in wingspan size only to the white witch moth which has a wingspan of 14 inches. The adult moths have comb-like antennae and a rusty brown, fuzzy thorax. The heavy-bodied abdomen alternates between brown and beige stripes, and circles along their sides. The wings are mainly a reddish brown, with white, yellow, black and pink and purple lines. There are triangular-shaped ‘windows’ on the wings, with no scales, that are transparent, surrounded by a black border. Males and females are easily distinguished when they transform into the adult moths. Females are slightly bigger, with broader wings, larger ‘windows’ on the wings and are heavier-bodied.
Habitat and Behavior
Atlas moths mainly live in tropical forests in Asia. The atlas moth habitat consists of a wet season and a dry season. They prefer temperatures in the upper 70s. Atlas moths mainly fly at night to conserve energy. Female Atlas moths tend to stay in one place to attract a mate.
Atlas Moth Life Cycle
Atlas moths only live for a few days to a few weeks. Once they mate, they die.
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Egg Stage
Atlas moth eggs are white or pale yellow, oval-shaped and flattish. You will find them on the underside of leaves that larvae feed on, including citrus cinnamon, guava, and evergreen trees. The eggs are sticky so they can stick to the leaf or to each other. They are just a few millimeters in both width and length. The eggs hatch after about two weeks and the larvae are born. The eggs hatch in 12-14 days.
Larval Stage: The Eating Machines
Atlas moth larvae are small green caterpillars with brown specks. They are about 4.5 inches long. They have a distinctive orange ring on their rear end. After four weeks of eating, they spin a cocoon of silk mixed with leaves and emerge as the atlas moth another four weeks later. Atlas moth larvae subsist on a diet of the foliage from citrus, cinnamon, guava, and evergreen trees. The caterpillars feed on a variety of food plants, including mango and other citrus trees, cinnamon trees, and probably the easiest to provide; privet. The caterpillars require a clean enclosure; dirt left to gather can grow bacteria and fungus that will affect the health of the caterpillar. Therefore, an easy-to-clean substrate is ideal. This species comes from tropical rainforests in South-East Asia, so a substrate that can hold moisture is recommended. Water can damage a moth’s wings, and can drown caterpillars, yet they need moisture. The caterpillars can grow to 11.5cm. The caterpillars will eat for about 5-7weeks, shedding five times throughout (they stop eating a few days before they moult). Caterpillar moulting. The temperature should be 25-28˚C. It can survive at lower temperatures, but it grows and develops at a slower rate. Temperature should not be allowed fall below room temperature. Humidity should be about 60-70%. Too high a humidity can result in fungal infections, which the caterpillars are particularly prone to, while too low a humidity will give the caterpillars difficulty in shedding.
Pupal Stage
After this, they will spin a silk cocoon, sometimes using twigs and leaves as support for the structure. In a month’s time (with warm temperatures, but it takes longer with colder temperatures), a moth will emerge from a cocoon. If a cocoon is made late in the year, near winter, many will not emerge until spring/summer. Moth emerging from cocoon.
Adult Stage: No Feeding Required
Technically, Atlas moths eat nothing! Atlas moths do not have the usual proboscis moths use to drink nectar from flowers. Theirs is too short to allow them to eat anything. They live off of fat they stored as larvae. Male atlas moths primarily fly at night to avoid flying in the warmest and most taxing time of day to conserve their energy, since they have no way to refuel. When Atlas moth adults emerge from their pupas after metamorphosis, they are initially very weak and cannot fly. After a few days, they strengthen up and forage out to find potential mates. Atlas moth adults only live for 2 weeks at max so they must spend all of their adult life looking for mating opportunities. When the moth first emerges, its wings are soft. undisturbed, until its wings harden after a few hours. The adult moths only live 5-14 days (shorter with warm temperatures, longer with colder temperatures). Once they hatch from their cocoon, the whole life purpose of an atlas moth is to find a mate.
Silk Production
In India, Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk, similar to the domestic silkmoth. In some countries, hobbyists and craftspeople use atlas moth silk to make lampshades, shoes, purses, and clothing. However, it is not used on a large scale commercially because the silk comes out in short strands, not long ones like the traditional silkmoth. The silk made from atlas moths is called fagara. It ranges in color from brown to tan.
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Housing and Maintenance
Plastic boxes with plenty of ventilation are normally recommended. The larger, the better, as small cages can damage a moth’s wings if there’s not enough space to spread them. The atlas moth is a relatively easy and undemanding species to rear. Their food plants are varied and readily available in garden centres. Combined with their beauty, this is a stunning species to work with. They are more active at night, and can be easily picked up during the day - to do this, you can force them to step up on your finger by pushing gently into them.
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