Actias luna

Taxobox
name = Luna Moth


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Actias luna", adult female
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
familia = Saturniidae
genus = "Actias"
species = "A. luna"
binomial = "Actias luna"
binomial_authority = Linnaeus, 1758

The Luna Moth ("Actias luna") is a lime-green, Nearctic Saturniid moth in the subfamily Saturniinae.

Range

This moth is found in North America from east of the Great Plains in the United States to northern Mexico and from Ontario eastward through central Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada.

Life cycle

Based on the climate in which they live, the Luna moths produce differing numbers of generations. In Canada and northern regions, they can live up to 7 days and will produce only one generation per year. These reach adulthood from early June to early July. In the northeastern United States around New Jersey or New York, the moths produce two generations each year. The first of these appear in April and May, and the second group can be seen approximately nine to eleven weeks later. In the southern United States, there can be as many as three generations. These are spaced every eight to ten weeks beginning in March.

Egg

Female Luna moths lay 100–300 eggs, 4–7 eggs at a time, on the underside of leaves, and they incubate for eight to thirteen days, depending on climate.It will lay more eggs in a better climate.

Headline text

Larva

Each instar generally takes about five days to a week to complete. After hatching, the caterpillars tend to wander around before finally settling on eating the particular plant they are on. These caterpillars tend to be for the first two to three instars, but separate and live independently after that. As with all Saturniids, these caterpillars go through five instars before cocooning. At the end of each instar, a small amount of silk is placed on the major vein of a leaf and undergoes apolysis. The caterpillar then undergoes ecdysis, or molts from that position leaving the old exoskeleton behind. Sometimes the shed exoskeleton is eaten. Each instar is green, though the first two instars do have some variation in which some caterpillars will have black underlying splotches on their dorsal side. Variation after the second instar is still noticeable, but slight. The dots that run along the dorsal side of the caterpillars vary from a light yellow to a dark magenta. The final instar grows to approximately nine centimeters in length.

Pupa

The luna moth pupates after spinning a cocoon. The cocoon is thin and single layered. Shortly before pupation, the final, fifth instar caterpillar will engage in a "gut dump" where any excess water and fluids are expelled. The caterpillar will also have an underlying golden reddish brown color and become somewhat immobile. As pupa, this species is particularly active. When disturbed, the moth will wiggle loudly. Pupation takes approximately two weeks unless the individual is diapausing. The mechanisms for diapause are generally a mixture of genetic triggers, duration of sunlight or direct light during the day, and temperature.

Adult

, the adults do not eat or have mouths. They emerge as adults solely to mate, and as such, only live approximately one week.

Images of life cycle

Host plants

The caterpillars feed on the following host plants:
*"Betula" (Birch)
*"Alnus" (Alder)
*"Diospyros" (Persimmon)
*"Liquidambar" (Sweet gum)
*"Carya" and "Annamocarya" (Hickory)
*"Juglans" (Walnut)
*"Rhus" (Sumac)

Popular Culture

*Children's author Eric Carle prominently featured a luna moth in his 1990 book, "The Very Quiet Cricket". In the story, a cricket is born who cannot talk. During the course of a sunny day, the cricket meets many other insects, but each time the tiny cricket rubs his wings together, no sound emerges. By the end of the day, the cricket is tired and frustrated at being unable to communicate with his fellow insects. At the height of his despair, "A luna moth sailed quietly into the night. And the cricket enjoyed the stillness. As the luna moth disappeared silently into the distance, the cricket saw another cricket. She, too was a very quiet cricket." The book ends with the quiet male cricket finally finding his voice and chirping "...the most beautiful sound she had ever heard."

*In the original Dr. Doolittle movie, the titular character flew away on a giant luna moth.

*In Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, (and the graphic novels inspired by the prose novel) the Luna Moth is a comic book character, drawn by Joe Kavalier after his real-life girlfriend Rosa Luxemburg Saks.

*Luna moths are referenced in Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer" and are used as a metaphor for one of the characters in the book.

*The pharmaceutical company Sepracor markets its sleep medication Lunesta using a logo that incorporates the Luna moth.
*In the Japanese manga Berserk,the apostle Rosine took the form of a Luna moth to fight Guts.
*Giant lunamoth puppets, designed by Alex Kahn, led New York's Village Halloween Parade in 1998.
*Luna moths are often mentioned in books by Gene Stratton Porter, such as "A Girl of the Limberlost," "Freckles" and "The Harvester"

*The character "Heimlich" in Disney Pixar's animated film, "A Bug's Life" was portrayed as a Luna Moth caterpillar.

External links

* [http://www.kiva.net/~daylight/moth.html How to rear saturniid moths]
* [http://www3.islandtelecom.com/~oehlkew/zlunmoth.htm Luna moth info]
* [http://wormspit.com/Luna.htm Step by step development of Luna life cycle] (Caution: high bandwidth usage, many pictures)
* [http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/moths/luna_moth.htm luna moth] on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site