Wonders of Wildlife: Luna Moth

Luna Moth

Scientific Name: Actias luna

Found in Alabama: Statewide

Diet: Herbivore (eats plants)

Luna Moth on Tree
flickr – Daniella Brigida

Learn More About...

Classification

IDENTIFICATION

Adaptations

Life Cycle

HAbitat Needs

Ecological Role

CLASSIFICATION

Scientists use basic traits to
group animals into different taxonomic
classes.

For a taxonomic classification chart comparing key traits of common backyard wildlife,
CLICK HERE!

What type of animal am I?

I am an invertebrate (an animal without a spine or backbone).
I am cold-blooded, so I canot control my body temperature.
I have a stiff covering on the outside of my body called an exoskeleton.
I breathe through small holes in my abdomen called spiracles.
I have six legs.
I have wings.

The Luna Moth is an INSECT!

IDENTIFICATION TIPS

ADULT MOTH

Wingspan ranges from 3 – 4.5 inches
Long, curving tails on the hindwings
Wings are pale green ranging from yellowish green to blueish green
Each wing has a transparent moon-like spot called an eyespot
Outer margins of the wing are either pink or yellow depending on time of year and geographic location

Adult Luna Moth
Wikimedia – ggallice (Geoff Gallice)

FEMALE

Tend to be slightly larger than males
Appear more blueish green in color
Antennae are more thin and fuzzy
in appearance rather than feathered

Luna Moth Female
Wikimedia – Shawn Hanrahan

MALE

Tend to be slightly smaller than females
Appear more yellowish green in color
Antennae are more strongly feathered

Luna Moth Male
Dreamstime

EGGS

About the size of a pinhead
Slightly oval in shape
White in color coated in a
brown sticky substance

Luna Moth Eggs
Wikimedia – Shawn Hanrahan

CATERPILLAR (LARVAE)

Up to 2.75 inches in length
Bright green in color with a yellow line down each side and reddish orange spots
Thinly covered in short white hairs

Luna Moth Caterpillar
flickr – Dean Morley

COCOON

Use silk and leaves to construct cocoon
Single layer that appears papery brown

Luna Moth Cocoon
Dreamstime

PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS

Luna Moths avoid predators:

As a caterpillar, the bright green coloration allows them to blend in with the surrounding vegetation (plants).
The coloration and markings on an adult luna moth’s wings help it avoid predators (animals that eat them) by providing camouflage (blending in with the surrounding environment), allowing it to blend in with tree bark or leaf litter.
The eyespots on the wings also play a role in confusing predators by drawing attention to the wings that appear face-like.
If a predator attacks the eyespots, the wings may become damaged, but the moth can survive.

Luna Moths communicate using scent:

Female luna moths release a pheromone (chemical scent).
Males are able to recognize this scent using their feather-like antennae.
These feather-like antennae are so sensitive that males can detect a female from a mile away.

Male Luna Moth Antennae
Wikimedia – Judy Gallagher

BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS

Luna Moths are nocturnal:

They are active during the night (nocturnal).

Luna Moth caterpillars warn predators:

Luna moth caterpillars raise the front part of their bodies when a threat is nearby which makes them appear less like a caterpillar.
They also produce a clicking sound with their mouthparts as a warning that they are about to produce a fluid that is distasteful to a predator (animals that eat them).

Luna Moths avoid bats:

Bats are one of the main predators (animals that eat them) of adult luna moths.
Bats rely on echolocation (process in which they send out a series of high pitched sounds that bounce back to the bat with information about the location of their prey).
Adult luna moths spin the tails of their wings which disrupts a bat’s ability to use echolocation and disorients the bat, allowing the moth a chance to escape.

LIFE CYCLE

Luna Moth Life Cycle
Dreamstime

Metamorphosis is the process of physical change that some animals go through as they transform from a larvae into an adult.

Four Life Cycle Stages of the Luna Moth

Stage 1: Egg

Females lay between 200 and 400 hard-shelled eggs on leaves of their host plant (hickory, walnut, sweet gum, persimmon, or birch trees).
Eggs are deposited one at a time or in small groups.
A tiny caterpillar (larvae) hatches from its egg around 7 days later.

Stage 2: Larvae

The baby caterpillar spends 3 – 4 weeks eating its host plant and growing.
When it becomes too large for its skin, it molts (sheds its skin).
The intervals between molts are called instars.

Luna Moth Instars
Dreamstime

3. Pupa:

The caterpillar pupates (transistions from larva to pupa) in a head-up position.
It spends about 3 – 4 weeks spinning a cocoon (a covering that protects the pupa form of the insect as it changes into an adult) out of silk and leaves.
They will attach underneath the host plant and will eventually fall to the ground where it will be camouflaged (blend in with the surrounding environment) within leaf litter and protected from winter weather conditions.
Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis (physical change from larva to adult).

Luna Moth Cocoon
flickr – wanderingnome

4. Adult:

The adult moth emerges from the cocoon in the morning, and then waits to allow its wings to inflate and dry before it flies away in the evening.

Life Span:

Average life span for an adult luna moth is 1 week.
Females die after depositing their eggs.

HABITAT NEEDS

Natural Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Adults do not have mouthparts or digestive organs and do not feed.	Young feed exclusively on host plants including hickory, walnut, sweet gum, persimmon, sumac, and birch trees.
Water		Necessary hydration is obtained through leaves of host plant.
Shelter	They are often found in forested areas, especially those with deciduous trees.	Eggs are despoited on the top or bottom of the host plant’s leaf. Caterpillars are relatively inactive and remain on plant until they are ready to undergo metamorphosis (physical change from larva to adult), at which point they construct a cocoon that will fall to the ground underneath the host plant.
Places to Raise Young	Females lay eggs on leaves of the host plant (hickory, walnut, sweet gum, persimmon, or birch trees). Adults do not raise the young, but the plant provides a food source for the caterpillars as soon as they hatch.

If you want to offer resources in your backyard habitat for this species, consider the suggestions below.

Backyard Habitat Needs	Adults	Young
Food	Adults do not have mouthparts or digestive organs and do not feed.	Plant host plants including hickory, walnut, sweet gum, persimmon, sumac, and birch trees.
Water
Shelter	Plant deciduous trees including the specific host plants. Do not remove leaf litter in the fall.
Places to Raise Young	Plant host plants including hickory, walnut, sweet gum, persimmon, sumac, and birch trees.

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Animals play an important ecological role in the health of habitats and ecosystems.

Food Source:

Larvae (caterpillars) and adults provide a food source for a variety of predators (animals that eat them) including owls, bats, hornets, and ground beetles.

Indicator Species:

Because the luna moth is so charismatic and recognizable, it is noticeable when their presence is less than normal.
Moths are sensitive to changes in the environment and can increase or decrease in population size depending on the quality of the environment around them.
The change in numbers of luna moths could indicate the health of an ecosystem.
A decrease in the number of luna moths might indicate that other insect populations may be in decline as well.

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