Comet moth by iaacf

Photography • Animals • posted on May 27, 2010

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Description

From Wikipedia The Comet moth (Argema mittrei) is an African moon moth, a large wild silk moth found only in the wild in certain parts of Madagascar but able to breed in captivity. In Madagascar are a few breeding areas and there are a few zoos that attempt breeding too. Some of them are quite successful. The Madagascan Comet Moth is one of the world's biggest moth, the male has a wingspan of twenty centimeters and a tail span of fifteen centimeters. As a Moth they only live for 4 to 5 days and they are only fertile the first day after getting out of the cocoon. The cocoon has holes in it to keep the future moth from drowning in its rainforest climate. As a caterpillar they feed on eucalyptus leaves (only fresh ones, which makes it harder to breed them in captivity) and grow to a reasonable size before getting in the cocoon. They stay in there for about two to six months depending on the climate. Head of Comet moth This particular type of moth only lives in Madagascar off the south coast of Africa. It is an endangered species.