Click on the photo to enlarge
This is a spectacular moth to say the least. Most people think it is a butterfly because it feeds at flowers and behaves somewhat like a butterfly. The moth is a member of the family Uraniidae, a family of often gaudy moths many of which are diurnal. It is a large moth, measuring 50-60 mm across and is active in late afternoons. The caterpillars feed on leaves of the large vine, Omphalea queenslandiae of the family Euphorbiaceae. Judging by the numbers of moths and the extent of the reports of the migrations, these vines should be quite bare by now!
Mass movements of the Zodiac Moth in north Queensland have been known for years. They always attract attention because the moths rest en masse in selected trees. That is what attracts the attention of the public.
Thanks to Christina for use of the photo. It was taken at Wondecla, Qld.
This is fascinating. The green urania (Urania fulgens) in Costa Rica shows a very similar behavior of seasonal migration, related to the steadily increasing amount of secondary compounds in their host plants, a closely related vine Omphalea diantra. They move en masse to new locations where this vine has lower levels of the compounds, only to return after a few years.
ReplyDeleteInformative article. I was very interested to know such information. They look like bright flowers.using our service will bring you only advantages How diverse nature is and how good it is that you give the opportunity to see it.
ReplyDeleteWow! This zodiac moth looks cool. I haven’t seen one. Ah, it’s no surprise! I have been dealing with a Law Dissertation Writing Dissertation is all I have been doing for the last three days.
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