Coscinocera hercules

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.

Female
Larva

Coscinocera hercules
Mounted male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Coscinocera
Species:
C. hercules
Binomial name
Coscinocera hercules
Miskin, 1876

References
  1. Robert G. Foottit & Peter H. Adler. 2009. Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-405-15142-9
  2. Rainier Flindt. 2006. Amazing Numbers in Biology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. ISBN 3-540-30146-1


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