Moths are winged flying insects. They are a paraphyletic group of insects that consists of all members of the order Lepidoptera, excluding butterflies.
Lepidoptera, which translates to “scaly-winged,” is an order of insects whereby insects undergo a larval stage popularly known as a caterpillar, a pupal stage known as chrysalis, or cocoon, and the adult stage known as butterfly or moth. Many people often confuse moths with butterflies, but they differ from each other.
There are about 160,000 unique species of the nocturnal flying moth1, except for a few species active during the day, like the sphinx moth, day moth, and buck moth. On the other hand, moths’ close relative, the butterfly, has 17,500 species. There are nearly 11,000 species of moth in the United States and 2,500 in the United Kingdom.
Like all insects, moths have six legs, two antennae, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. They have a life span of six months to three years. Furthermore, moths range in size from a few millimeters to the largest moth species with a wingspan of 10 inches (25cm).
In addition, moths are diverse in their ecology. Moths inhabit places like farmlands, gardens, woodlands, marshlands, sand dunes, and even mountains. They also tend to lay eggs within cracks, near plumbing fixtures, and other dark areas. Moths come in various types, from the familiar brown house moth to multicolored, unique ones.
Scientific name: Chrysiridia rhipheus,
This beautifully colored moth can be mistaken for a butterfly because of its color. It has a wingspan of between 3.25 inches and 4 inches. This moth lives in Madagascar with a background color of black, and its wings are especially showy, with many tails.
This hind wing has a blue band, and there are also green band dots and stippling on the forewings. Also, the moth gets its name from the sunset-colored patches near the bottom of its hind wings—little wonder why it is often referred to as one of the most beautiful insects.
However, the colorful wings aren't simply for the pleasure of humankind as they warn predators that the moth is toxic.
Scientific name: Actias luna,
Another brightly colored moth is the Luna Moth, a type of silk moth. It’s also known as the American moon moth. Its species name is Actias luna, common in the United States and Mexico. It’s a part of the Saturniidae family, the giant silk moth family. The family also consists of the Japanese silk moth and emperor moth, and as with other giant silkworm moths, they exist to lay eggs and don't eat anything as adults.
It’s one of the prettiest moths, with a wingspan of 3 to 4.25 inches. The wing is colored in luminous pale lime-green or blue-green. The wings each have an eyespot attached to them with a band of brown. The hind wing also has scalloped eyespots and beautiful long tails that aid its identification as a moth. Luna moth male and female species are identical, though the male has fuzzier antennae. The white body is fat and covered with pale fur.
Scientific name: Agarista agricola.
Large Agarista, otherwise known as Joseph's Coat Moth, is another of the world's most beautiful and brightly colored moths. It has black wings with streaks and blotches and yellow, white, blue, and red bands. It has a hind wing fringed with white, and the thorax - the segment between the head and abdomen is yellow.
Its wingspan is between 2.5 inches and 2.75 inches, with a metallic glimmer in its blue wing. It also has a cape of cream or white color and feeds on species of wild grapevines.
Scientific name: Hypercompe scribonia.
The giant leopard moth belongs to the family Erebidae. It has bright white wings covered with dark, round blotches in a manner that resembles a snow leopard.
It has a distinctive color pattern. When it spreads its wings, its colorful abdomen becomes visible with shiny blue and orange spots. The wingspan is about 7.6cm, and the average male grows to an average length of 5.1cm while the female counterparts grow up to 3cm. Their mating session is exceptionally long and can last for about 24 hours or even more.
Scientific name: Dysphania militaris.
This moth is another moth that people often mistake for a butterfly, perhaps due to its bright coloration; that looks like some swallowtail butterflies. We can find it in Southeast Asia with a wingspan of about 3.5 inches.
The head, thorax, and abdomen are golden yellow with purple bands. Also, the forewings have half golden yellow, with the other outer half purple.
Scientific name: Attacus atlas.
The atlas moth falls under the Saturniidae family. It’s one of the largest moths in the world, with a wingspan of around 10 inches (25cm). These brown moths have brightly colored orange-brown wings with triangular markings of white, and black stripes, yellowish patterned margins, and a round orange-brown body.
Its antennae of two long filaments make it look like a fish skeleton. They live in forests and shrublands in Southeast Asia. As beautiful as these adult moths are, they have a short life span. The atlas moth only lives a few weeks once it’s out of its cocoons.
Scientific name: Smerinthus jamaicensis.
Twin-spotted sphinx moths belong to the family Sphingidae along with others like the rosy maple moth and white-lined sphinx moth. This sphinx moth has a large wingspan of 2 to 3 inches.
This sphinx moth has stunning blue eyespots on its hind wing. The colors on its wings are beige-brown, white and pinkish-red, and yellow markings. The larger wedge-shaped forewings are yellowish-brown with shades of dark brown and white markings. You’ll find this sphinx moth spread across North America.
Scientific name: Dryocampa rubicunda.
This moth species possesses bright colors. It has pink legs, a yellow body, and striped pink and yellow wings. The rosy maple moth is native to North America, specifically temperate forests in eastern North America. These moths get their name from their tree of preference, the maple tree.
Scientific name: Automeris io.
The IO moth, also known as the peacock moth, sports these incredible colors and patterns on their wings. We can find this moth in North America, where we can find the plant species that the caterpillars enjoy eating, such as willow and pear. This nocturnal moth can grow as large as 8cm.
