Giant moth found in Vietnam
The wings of this moth can span up to 30 cm, with brilliant yellow coloring and striking, intricate patterns.
Tô Quang Vinh, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, was astonished when he caught an unusual, enormous insect. Its wings measured 24 cm across, many times the size of ordinary butterflies.
The moth was caught in the former Bình Thuận province (now part of Lâm Đồng province). Photo: Tô Quang Vinh.
The moth is a brilliant yellow, with soft, flowing patterns on its wings. It was found on an ornamental plant at the home of Vinh's mother-in-law in Me Pu commune, in the former Đức Linh district of the former Bình Thuận province in southern Vietnam (now part of Lâm Đồng province).
According to biodiversity researcher Phùng Mỹ Trung, it is an Atlas moth, known in Vietnamese as "bướm khế" (scientific name Attacus atlas). It is the largest moth in Vietnam and one of the largest in the world.
An Atlas moth with a wingspan of nearly 30 cm. Photo: vncreatures.net
Atlas moths are found throughout Vietnam's forests, mountains and lowlands, and are occasionally spotted on the outskirts of major cities. An adult Atlas moth can have a wingspan of 25 to 30 cm.
This giant moth is becoming increasingly rare because of environmental change, widespread pesticide spraying and hunting by collectors. The Vietnam Red Data Book lists the Atlas moth in category R (rare in the wild).
