Indian Moon Moth
Actias selene, adult male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Saturniidae Genus: Actias Species: A. selene
Binomial name
Actias selene (Hübner, 1807)

The Indian Moon Moth or Indian Luna Moth (Actias selene) is a species of moth. This species is popular among amateur entomologists and is often reared from eggs or cocoons that are available from commercial sources. Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Digimon, the only known animals. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. ... Superfamilies Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Acanthopteroctetoidea Alucitoidea Axioidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidea Choreutoidea Cossoidea Drepanoidea Epermenioidea Eriocranioidea Galacticoidea Gelechioidea Geometroidea Gracillarioidea Hedyloidea Hepialoidea Heterobathmioidea Hyblaeoidea Immoidea Incurvarioidea Lasiocampoidea Lophocoronoidea Micropterigoidea Mimallonoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Neopseustoidea Nepticuloidea Noctuoidea Palaephatoidea Pterophoroidea Pyraloidea Schreckensteinioidea Sesioidea Simaethistoidea Thyridoidea Tineoidea Tischerioidea Tortricoidea Urodoidea Whalleyanoidea Yponomeutoidea Zygaenoidea The order Lepidoptera... Subfamilies Arsenurinae Ceratocampinae Hemileucinae Agliinae Ludiinae Salassinae Saturniinae The Saturniidae, collectively known as saturniids, are among the largest and most spectacular of the lepidoptera, with an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 different species existing worldwide. ... Binomial name Actias luna Linnaeus 1758 The Luna Moth (Actias luna) is a large lime_green saturniid moth found in North America from east of the Great Plains in the Mexico and from Ontario eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Jacob Hübner (1761 - 1826) was a German entomologist. ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Range

This incredible moth is quite widespread, found from India to Japan and then south into Nepal, Ceylon, Borneo, and other islands in eastern Asia. Many subspecies live in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Russia, China, Java, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Borneo. Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia). ... Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ...

Life Cycle

Eggs are 2 mm, colored white with extensive black and brown mottling. Incubation lasts approximately two weeks and newly hatched larvae are red with a black abdominal saddle. Second instar larvae are all red with black heads. It is not until the third instar that larvae take on a green color. The developing larvae prefer humid conditions.

Egg

Larva

Pupa

Adult

Images of Life Cycle

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Actias selene

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

First instar larvae reared on American Sweetgum An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt. ... A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Binomial name Liquidambar styraciflua L. American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as Redgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America. ...	Second instar larvae	Second instar larva with third instars in the background.	Second instar larva undergoing apolysis Eacles imperialis caterpillar undergoing apolysis Apolysis is the separation of the cuticula from the epidermis in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ...
Third instar larva	Thid instar larvae with a second instar in the background	Fourth instar larva recently completing ecdysis Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ...	Fourth instar larva
Fifth instar larva	Fifth instar larva	Fifth instar larva closeup to show head and mouthparts	Cocoon cut away to show prepupa stage
Adult male from the Western Ghats The Agasthiyamalai range of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats are a mountain range in India. ...

Videos

• Fourth instar eating
• Fifth instar eating Part 2 Part 3
• Moth emerging from pupa Part 2 Part 3

Host Plants

• Sweetgum
• Rhododendron
• Cherry
• Apple
• Coriaria
• Andromeda
• Hibiscus
• Salix
• Malus
• Crataegus

Species Liquidambar formosana Liquidambar orientalis Liquidambar styraciflua The sweetgums Liquidambar are a genus in the witch-hazel family Hamamelidaceae, with three species of large deciduous trees, 25-40m tall, with palmately lobed leaves: Liquidambar formosana - Chinese Sweetgum (central & southern China, Taiwan). ... Subgenera Azaleastrum Candidastrum Hymenanthes Mumeazalea Pentanthera (Azaleas) Rhododendron Therorhodion Tsutsusi (Azaleas) Vireya Source: RBG, Edinburgh Rhododendron (from the Greek: rhodos, rose, and dendron, tree) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. ... Cherry tree redirects here. ... This article is about the tree and its fruit. ... Species About 30 species, including: Coriaria angustissima Coriaria arborea Coriaria japonica Coriaria kingiana Coriaria lurida Coriaria microphylla Coriaria myrtifolia Coriaria napalensis Coriaria plumosa Coriaria pteridoides Coriaria ruscifolia Coriaria sarmentosa Coriaria sinica Coriaria terminalis Coriaria thymifolia Coriaria is the sole genus in the family Coriariaceae. ... Species See text Pieris is a genus of ornamental shrubs in the family Ericaceae. ... Species See text. ... Species About 350, including: Salix alba - White Willow Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula - Mountain Willow Salix aurita - Eared Willow Salix babylonica - Peking Willow Salix caprea- Goat Willow Salix caroliniana - Coastal Plain Willow Salix cinerea - Grey Sallow Salix fragilis - Crack Willow Salix herbacea - Dwarf Willow Salix lanata - Woolly Willow Salix... Species Malus angustifolia - Southern Crab Malus baccata - Siberian Crabapple Malus bracteata Malus brevipes Malus coronaria - Sweet Crabapple Malus domestica - Apple Malus florentina Malus floribunda - Japanese Crabapple Malus formosana Malus fusca - Oregon Crab, Pacific Crab Malus glabrata Malus glaucescens Malus halliana Malus honanensis Malus hupehensis - Chinese Crabapple Malus ioensis - Prairie Crab... Species See text Crataegus (Hawthorn) is a large genus of in the family Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. ...

Trivia

In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, an Indian Moon Moth serves as a messenger between Gwaihir and Gandalf. Peter Jackson CNZM (born October 31, 1961) is a three-time Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA winning New Zealand filmmaker best known as the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which he, along with his long time partner, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens adapted from the novels... The Lord of the Rings film trilogy comprises three live action fantasy epic films; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth, the eagles were immense flying birds that were sentient, and could speak. ... For other uses, see Gandalf (disambiguation). ...