Cocoons of the Atlas moth are typically about 2 inches (6 centimeters) in length. The cocoons of the Atlas moth caterpillar are composed of broken strands of light brown fagara silk, a durable silk spun by the caterpillar as it prepares to pupate. Likewise, the male Atlas moth dies after mating. This life cycle - from moth to mate to mother - will take place in a single week and will end in death. Once united, male and female Atlas moths will mate (sometimes for up to 24 hours) and then the female will lay more than 100 eggs on the underside of a leaf. If these giants-among-moths were starring in a new reality series, it would probably be titled "Atlas Moths: After Dark." The male Atlas moth waits until the sun goes down to seek out a female and will locate her, not by sight, but by following the heady scent of the mating pheromones she releases. "The adult Atlas moth mainly relies on the reserves it stored when it was still in the caterpillar stage." These reserves are designed to offer about a week of energy to an Atlas moth, allowing it to survive long enough to mate. He has taught courses about the Atlas moth, collaborated with Atlas moth researchers and witnessed the moth in its natural habitat during a visit to Southeast Asia. "The adult form of the Atlas moth no longer eats food because it has an underdeveloped mouth with a tiny and non-functioning proboscis," says Craig Miller, co-founder of Academia Labs, in an email. As an adult, it won't taste another bite.
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The caterpillar that eventually emerges from a cocoon as an Atlas moth has gotten to this point by storing up food reserves. The Atlas Has an Underdeveloped Mouth and Does Not Eat The caterpillars will continually gorge and grow on leaves as they prepare for the next stage of life, during which they will entwine themselves in a self-woven silk cocoon. These caterpillars, which can grow up to 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) long, eat the leaf on which they were born and then make a meal out of any other leaves they can reach. The female Atlas moth lays eggs on the underside of a leaf and after seven to 14 days, the eggs hatch into large caterpillars. It has adapted to life in a variety of forested climates, from tropical and lowland to upper mountain forests. The Atlas moth lives in forested areas of Asia, ranging from India to the Philippines and south to Indonesia. In addition, the pattern on the wings of the Atlas moth will sometimes resemble the pupils of watching eyes. When the Atlas moth becomes frightened, it opens its wings and shakes them to imitate the movements of a snake, and in doing so, may fend off its attacker. The upper corner of each Atlas moth wing mimics the distinctive profile of a cobra's head, acting as an immediate deterrent (times two!) to the birds or lizards that would otherwise consider it a readily available meal. The Wings Come With a WarningĪn Atlas moth that is perched on a branch with its wings closed may seem like an easy target to any of its natural predators, but by making just one move - opening its wings - the Atlas moth can flip the script. The average female Atlas moth is usually larger than the male Atlas moth, and has a wingspan up to 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) with a total surface area up to 62 inches (1.5 meters). The Atlas moth ( Attacus atlas) is a species of moth in the giant silkworm family Saturniidae and it has one of the largest wing spans - and wing surface areas - among its kind. Out of 65 species reported here Sub species of 11 species were found to be included under Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.The Atlas moth is probably best known for its size. Hesperidae and Lycanidae was the second most dominant family with 13 species followed by Papilonidae 6 species, Pieridae 5 species and Riodinidae with 1 species.
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It was observed that family Nymphalidae is the most dominating family in the study area representing 27 species with 414 individuals during the survey.
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During the course of this survey a total of 725 individuals and 65 species of butterflies represented by 48 genera belonging to 6 families were recorded.
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a preliminary note on their, status and conservation priorities within the study area. The major objective of this survey is to develop an organized checklist of butterflies along with adding. A short term survey was conducted for a period of six months in the Tegheria, Khetri in order to study the diversity of butterflies. Butterflies are brilliantly coloured scaly winged insects of order Lepidoptera and one of the most essential indicator species for conservation of biodiversity.