What do atlas moths eat

Before it becomes the largest moth in the world, it starts out as a green and white caterpillar with soft spikes all over their back. This type of moth does not have a mouth which means it cannot eat. It lives off energy stored as a caterpillar which is why the Atlas Moth only has a life span of 5 to 7 days.

The caterpillars can grow to While not the longest wings, it has one of the largest wing surface area of all lepidopteran moths and butterflies , approx 62 inch sq. 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.

The best way to provide this is by spraying the food plant and the caterpillars can drink the droplets as they eat the leaves. It can survive at lower temperatures, but it grows and develops at a slower rate. Temperature should not be allowed fall below room temperature. 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.

A quick mist of the plants every second day should be sufficient. Plastic boxes with plenty of ventilation are normally recommended. No decorations are needed as caterpillars do not stray far from the food plant. The caterpillars feed on a variety of food plants, including mango and other citrus trees, cinnamon trees, and probably the easiest to provide; privet.

On wildsingapore flickr Photos for free download Map of sightings in Singapore. Other sightings on Singapore shores. Links The Atlas Moth Chronicles - Episode 1 and Episode 2 and Episode 3 on the Butterflies of Singapore blog: documenting the life cycle and other interesting behaviour. Attacus atlas on Taxo References Foo Maosheng. An atlas moth infestation at Yishun. Singapore Biodiversity Records Spot errors? Have a question?

Want to share your sightings? During the day the moths are inactive, during the evening and night they will start to fly in search of a mate or for a suitable place to lay their eggs.

During the day they are easily handled, you can pick them up by forcing them to step onto your hand or finger. NEVER grab them at their wings, because they are very fragile. A suitable housing for the caterpillars is a clear plastic box with a lot of ventilation holes. On the bottom of this container you can place paper towels. The caterpillars will live on top of their food leaves and do not need any other decoration.

If you choose to place the branches with leaves in a cup of water to keep them fresh, make sure that the caterpillars cannot fall into the water. The moth should be kept in a well ventilated cage or room. This space can never be too big for them. If you use a glass terrarium or cage with wide gaps between the bars, the moths will destroy their wings when flying against the cage or the glass.

If you just wet the fresh leaves that you feed them before you put them in their enclosure, than it is already moist enough. When the caterpillars made their cocoons of silk and changed into pupa, you can collect them and hang them nicely.

Hanging the cocoons in a planned fashion will ease the eclosion of the butterfly, opposed to having them eclose at whatever place the caterpillar has chosen. With a needle you can pin a piece of the silk of the cocoon to and hang it from the ceiling of a cage.