For the identification of insects and other fauna and flora of South Africa.
Showing posts with label moth identification.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moth identification.. Show all posts

Friday, October 29, 2010

Emperor Moth (Gonimbrasia belina)

Emperor moths belong to the Saturniidae family and are probably the giants of the moth world with wingspans up to 7 inches. They are the most spectacular of all and come in brilliant colors.
This one has a wingspan of 4 inches and I found it sitting amongst the leaves of a bush early in the morning before it was warm enough for them to start flying around.
Most have elaborate eye-spots on the wings and large antennae. They are attracted to lights at night but some of the species are found during the day time.
The pupa of the species are normally found in the ground where they develop.
Mopane moths belong to this same family and are eaten as a delicacy by many people.
I sometimes think that moths are as beautiful as butterflies. There are definitely some stunning species around.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Very tiny moth - Orange Plume Moth (Crombrugghia wahlbergi) Pterophoridae

While working on the PC, this extremely small moth decided to see what I was doing on it.
It is a very small one with a wingspan of less than half an inch but it had there interesting wings and almost thorn-like appendages on its legs.
Please excuse this bad shot but it is the only other one I have and as it was dark, I had to use the flash which messed up the colors in the body.