GRRAHH MOTH INFODUMP!!
The Mopane Emperor Moth caterpillar is widely consumed as a delicious street food snack in Africa. They can be found in the northern parts of South Africa, as well as Zimbabwe, northern Namibia, and Botswana. The main predators of this moth are humans and birds, as well as fungi. The adult moth is fawn-colored, with a wingspan of 120 mm (4.72 inches). The larvae are harvested at the beginning of the rainy season. They are usually harvested when they are in their 5th instar (growth stage). This is because at this point they don’t need their guts purged, as they do before heading underground. A mopane worm is 70% pure protein.

The Lichen Moth has a beautiful pattern of gold, orange, and black. It lives in tropical climates. It has round, flat wings that fit across its back in a triangle shape. This delicate moth can be found in Yunnan Province, China. It has a wingspan of 2.5–2.7 cm (1 inch). There is argument over the taxonomy of this moth,as a new subspecies or species has recently been discovered. It’s also known as the Footman Moth, probably because footmen had such smart uniforms.

The Polyphemus Moth is named after the giant Polyphemus from Greek mythology. The giant was a cyclops; he had one single eye on his forehead. This moth, admittedly, has two eye spots, but seen from the side, they resemble one. The wingspan of the adult moth is 10 to 15 cm (approximately 4 to 6 inches). Caterpillars are protected by their green coloration. One of the trees the Polyphemus Moth feeds on is the plum. The Polyphemus Moth is a large and attractive silkmoth. They have a wide distribution in North America. They are present in all 48 lower states except for Nevada and Arizona. You can also find them in Southern Canada, down to Mexico.

The Goat Moth is named for the smell the adults give off, which is like the smell of a goat. You can notice these larvae as many feed on one tree, and you can see their exit holes in the bark. They enjoy sallow, willow, poplar, and ash trees. The adult moth has a wingspan of 64–84 mm (2.51–3.3 inches). The Leopard and oat moth families are called the Cossidae. Only one of the three species is found in the UK. Goat Moth larvae feed on wood. They are dark red and large, at 10 cm, fitting across a human hand. Wood is not very nutritious, so it takes them 4 years to mature. When the caterpillar is ready to mature into a moth, it digs a hole in the tree at the base.

Oak processionary Moth caterpillars feed on oak trees. They form long, wide chains of caterpillars when moving from tree to tree. This moth is both a pest to oak trees and a hazard to humans, as its hairs are made more itchy by a protein called thaumetopoein. Thaumetopoein causes skin rashes, breathing difficulties, and sore throats. This is worse in May and June. The caterpillars shed these hairs when alarmed, meaning they get into everything as they are airborne. The adult moth has a wingspan of 30–32 mm (1.18–1.25 inches). Oak Processionary Moth caterpillars can easily completely strip an oak of its leaves, leaving it vulnerable to disease and drought. They are quite fussy eaters and will only eat other broadleaf trees if there are no oak leaves around.

The Giant Wood Moth is the heaviest moth in the world. At 30 grams, it’s 50% bigger than a robin. It comes from Australia and New Zealand. This moth only lasts for a few days after becoming an adult. It dies after it lays its eggs. Females are twice as big as males, with a wingspan of 25 cm. Aborigines in Australia hunt down the caterpillar of this moth as food. The caterpillar is huge and very nutritious. It feeds on eucalyptus trees.

Morgan’s Sphinx Moth has a foot-long proboscis (tongue). It uses this monster appendage to reach down into the orchid it feeds on, Angraecum sesquipedale. By doing this, it also pollinates the orchid. It has the longest tongue of an insect—a full 30cm. The Morgan’s Sphinx moth also hails from Madagascar. The subspecies there is known as Wallace’s Sphinx Moth, which is endemic to Madagascar. It has a wingspan of 16 cm (6.2 inches). Charles Darwin predicted the existence of this moth without ever seeing it. He was given some of the orchids, and he predicted a moth with a tongue long enough to pollinate them.

The Tear-Drinking Moth does just that. Adults drink the tears of animals such as birds. In fact, the birds don’t even wake up while the moth projects its proboscis into the corners of their eyes. Even though it’s festooned with barbs and hooks. The tear-drinking Moth comes from Madagascar. It comes from the Calpini family, which includes blood-sucking and fruit-feeding noctuidae. The behavior is thought to be for acquiring salt and trace minerals that the moth needs. This could enhance its reproductive success

The Barberry Carpet Moth is not very common but is getting more so as its food plant, barberry, is replanted in the UK. There are two times in the year that adults will fly: May to June and July to August. This moth has a subtle patterned coloration of browns. Barberry was found to host stem rust disease, which has affected cereal crops in the past. Today’s crops are resistant to stem rust, so barberry bushes and the Barberry Carpet Moth are making a comeback. The larvae feed all summer, then overwinter in cocoons just below the surface of the soil.

The Corn Earworm Moth is another ‘pest’ species. It feeds on ears of corn as a caterpillar. At first, the immature larvae feed together, but as they mature, they turn cannibalistic. They attack and kill each other until there is only one larva left in each ear of corn. The Corn Earworm Moth has a wingspan of 32 to 45 mm (1.25 to 1.77 inches) It’s found throughout North America, except for Canada and Alaska. In cold climates, the larvae die over the winter. It’s not too fussy as regards host plants; it will live on most vegetable plants, including broccoli, tomato, okra, melon, and cabbage.

The Cream Spot Tiger Moth is a pretty moth found in the UK. It is so named because it resembles a tiger’s color and stripes. It is most frequent in southern England and Wales. It is most active in May and June. It has a wingspan of 45 to 60 mm (1.77 to 2.3 inches). Its favorite habitat is grassland and woodland. The Cream Spot Tiger Moth’s caterpillars are brown and hairy. They feed on a variety of herbaceous plants like dead nettles and dandelions. They spend most of a year as larvae, then emerge to become adult moths after 20 days in the cocoon.

The Lymantrine Moth looks like a ghost with its white, transparent wings. It looks like the fine lace of a wedding veil. Accordingly, it is also rare. This moth was thought to be a butterfly for many years. It’s also known as the Fairy Lymnatrine. It is so rare that there are not many photos of it. It comes from the Yunnan region of China. Lymantria means “destroyer.” Some of the species in this family can defoliate whole forests of trees. It comes from the family Lymantriinae, subfamily Erebidae. These moths are known as “tussock moths.” They often have caterpillars with irritating hairs that cause skin rashes. This wards off predators.

The Water Veneer moth is very special. Its caterpillars live underwater as well as on land. They don’t have gills, but they can breathe oxygen through their skin. They hatch from eggs under the water and rise to the surface to pupate. They have a wingspan of 11–13 mm (0.4–0.5 inches). Water Veneer Moths live in the UK. The larvae feed on pondweed and Canadian waterweed. The females come in two forms: wingless and winged. The males mate with the females on the water’s surface.

The twin-spotted sphinx moth hides a beautiful pair of rosy pink hindwings with blue-black spots. The rest of the moth is fairly dull gray-white. It has a wingspan of 3/4–3 1/4 inches (4.5–8.3 cm). The Twin Spotted Sphinx Moth lives across North America, from Nova Scotia to Northern Florida, Manitoba to Arizona. It favors forests and shrubland near lakes and rivers. The caterpillars enjoy eating fruit trees, including apples, peaches, and plums. They will also graze on willow, birch, ash, and elm. This moth is in the Sphingidae family.

The Sloth Moth is symbiotic with the three-toed sloth, which lives high in the canopy of trees in South America. The sloth only comes down the tree once a week to relieve itself. Why it does this and doesn’t just poop from the branches has nothing to do with this moth. The male has a 13–15 mm wingspan. This is an example of a coprophilic (excreta-loving) moth. The moth needs the sloth to go down the tree trunk. The female moths lay their eggs in the pile of sloth dung at the base of the tree. The caterpillars now have a rich food source. The sloth gets a carpet of nutrient-rich algae on its fur due to the Sloth Moth. It eats this to supplement its nutrient-poor diet.

The Noctuid Calpe Moth pierces flesh to feed on the blood of humans and animals. It will drink a human’s blood for up to an hour. It’s not the only parasitic moth that lives on animals; there’s another that drinks tear fluid from eyeballs. It lives in Southeast Asia, in places like Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Its wingspan is 40–45 mm (1.6–1.7 inches). It’s from the family Erebidae. When it pierces your skin, it leaves an itchy mark. The area around the bite can go hard for around 5 weeks. This is the only species of moth with a proboscis hard and strong enough to get through skin.

The Mandolin Moth is named due to the male’s habit of serenading the female moth. He does this with a knot on one of his wings. His wings are concave instead of flat. He rubs it across his hind leg to make a noise. This attracts and impresses the female. Hopefully. The Mandolin Moth lives on Oak and Beech trees. It has a wingspan of 33–34 mm. The male and the female look similar, but the male has a longer body with a tuft of pale fur on its rear. It comes from the Noctuidae family, or “owlet moths.” These all have drab coloration and look roughly like owls. You can find the Mandolin Moth in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Austria and Bulgaria are good places to find them.

The Spanish Moon Moth is also known as the Stained Glass Moth. One look, and you will know why. This moth is regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe. It’s In the Saturnidae (silk moth) family. The Spanish Moon Moth has a wingspan of 6–10 cm(2.3–3.9 inches). It’s legal to collect and keep this moth as a pet. In some countries, it is protected. It is quite challenging to rear and breed. It’s found only in mountainous regions in the Alps and Pyrenees. The larvae feed on pine trees. In the wild, they feed on only Scots Pine and Black Pine. In captivity, they will eat many kinds of pine.

With a wingspan of nearly 8 inches, the comet moth (Argema mittrei) is one of the largest moths in the world. It's a member of the giant silk moths, a family of moths that produce silk while in caterpillar form to construct their cocoons. It has a thick, hairy body, feathery antennae, and distinctive eyespots to disarm predators. Also known as the Madagascan moon moth, it's only found in Madagascar. Due to habitat loss, it's now endangered, though it is still bred in captivity.
The io moth (Automeris io) is a colorful species that can be found across much of Canada and the United States. It has large, dramatic eyespots with white speckles that almost appear to reflect light. While the males are primarily yellow, female moths have red forewings and smaller antennae. In its caterpillar form, it is bright green and covered with venomous spines that release toxins when touched.