Vol
6 No 1
Apr 99
Butterflies and their food plants
Traditional
Prawn Harvesting
Birdsketching Workshop
Nature Talks
at Sungei Buloh
Insectopia:
Land before time about the insects at Sungei Buloh
Tree
Climbing Crabs
in Singapore Mangroves
Rhinoceros
Beetle
Atlas Moth
Sungei Buloh
5th Anniversary Celebrations
Volunteer Annual General Meeting
Otters in Sight and a Masked Finfoot
sighting |
|
The
Atlas Moth
(Attacus atlas) |
bryan
wee provides an insight
into Pulau Ubin's Mammoth with Wings
|
The Atlas Moth is the largest moth in Southeast Asia. It is also relatively
common, and they are found throughout India and Southeast Asia.
We are fortunate to have quite a number on Pulau Ubin. They feed on
the leaves of a wide range of trees, from the Starfruit tree (averrhoa
carambola) to the Sentol (Sandoricum koetjape).
The larva or caterpillar is large, and is without doubt a veritable
feast for any insectivorous bird. It has a voracious appetite and
consumes leaves with rapidity, leaving only large balls of fecal-matter
in its wake. A large number of subspecies have been described, but
the one on Ubin has larva that is pale green with white powdery speckles,
complete with a series of dorsal and subdorsal green spines.
The adult has a stout, hairy body with a short abdomen that is quite
out of proportion to the enormous wings. They are most active at night,
with an irregular flight, and are readily attracted to light. The
females are generally passive before mating, but they are known to
position themselves so as to enable maximum dispersal of their sexual
attractants by wind. Males up to three miles downwind can detect these
scents! Imagine if this was the same for humans—it would give
a new meaning to the word "haze"!
Interestingly
enough, the females will readily lay unfertilised eggs. These will
hatch and develop to produce male moths only. In light of this, the
next step in conserving the Atlas Moth would be enrolment in an extended
family planning course, no? |
Mating
Atlas Moths |
Butterflies
and moths belong to the Order Lepidoptera, taken from the Greek words
lepis (scale), and pteron (wing). Hence, all insects belonging to
this order have their wings, legs and body covered with minute scales.
But how does one tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth?
I have heard some people telling me that butterflies are brightly
coloured whereas moths tend to be dull and plain in appearance. One
only has to look at the Atlas Moth to know that this is not so.
In truth, butterflies and moths have their own distinguishing characteristics,
although as in English grammar, there are exceptions to these rules.
Most butterflies are day fliers whereas moths are generally nocturnal
in habit. In addition, butterflies generally rest with their wings
closed in an upright position whereas moths rest with their wings
held in a horizontal or roof-like position. The antennae of moths
are usually feathery without a club. Butterflies, on the other hand,
possess antennae that gradually thicken from the base upwards to form
a club. |
Another article about the Atlas Moth Homes of their
Own: the atlas moth and white-breasted waterhen (Vol 1 No 2, Sep 94)
|
WETlands