Coscinocera hercules
Appearance
Coscinocera hercules | |
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Mounted male | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Saturniidae |
Genus: | Coscinocera |
Species: | C. hercules
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Binomial name | |
Coscinocera hercules Miskin, 1876
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Coscinocera hercules, the Hercules moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae, endemic to New Guinea and northern Australia. The species was first described by William Henry Miskin in 1876. It has a wingspan of 27 centimetres (11 in), making it the largest moth found in Australia, and its wings have the largest documented surface area (300 square centimeters) of any living insect.[1][2] The larvae of this moth feed on Polyscias elegans, Glochidion ferdinandi, Dysoxylum muelleri, Prunus serotina, Timonius rumphii, but also eat other plants in captivity.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Coscinocera_hercules_female_from_Arfak.jpg/200px-Coscinocera_hercules_female_from_Arfak.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/CSIRO_ScienceImage_415_Hercules_Moth_Larva_Saturnidae_Family.jpg/200px-CSIRO_ScienceImage_415_Hercules_Moth_Larva_Saturnidae_Family.jpg)
References
- ^ Robert G. Foottit & Peter H. Adler. 2009. Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-405-15142-9
- ^ Rainier Flindt. 2006. Amazing Numbers in Biology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. ISBN 3-540-30146-1
External links
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