The Atlas Peacock-eye is the largest nocturnal butterfly. Atlas - the largest butterfly in the world Conservation status of the species

The peacock eye Attacus Atlas can rightfully bear the title of “The largest butterfly in the world.” The wingspan of this representative of lepidoptera reaches 300 mm. The peacock eye is a nocturnal species, as it is most active during the twilight and night time.

Atlas Attacus. Habitat

The largest butterfly is found in Southeast Asia. It is found in Thailand, where it received the name “Snake Head Moth”, in southern China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The most comfortable habitats for these butterflies are the forests of the tropics and subtropics. This large butterfly is bred on specialized farms in India. The silk produced by Atlas is called fagar silk and differs from mulberry in higher quality. Its distinctive properties are high strength and durability. In addition, the silk produced by this butterfly has the greatest wooliness, which is an undoubted advantage over other types of natural silk.

Appearance

The largest butterfly in the world has a rather predatory coloration. Her outfit includes shades of red, gold, chocolate brown, pink and cream. At the top of the front wing there is a bright burgundy stripe. If you look at the butterfly from the side, the color of its wings and their curved shape resemble the head of a snake. Considering the butterfly's defenselessness, this is its most advantageous method of escape from insectivorous predators. The color of the female's wings is not much different from the color of the male, but the females are much more massive. In addition, unlike females, whose antennae are much thinner and smaller, the male’s antennae are amazingly sensitive - they sense pheromones emitted by females from several tens of hundreds of meters away.

Stages of development

Atlas caterpillars grow more than one decimeter in length. The caterpillars eat leaves of ligustrum, clerodendrum, ricinum, apple and citrus fruits as food. The butterfly pupa reaches enormous sizes and weighs up to 10 grams for the male and up to 12 grams for the female. The size of the cocoon in which the pupa develops is so large that in some countries, for example, in Thailand, wallets are made from it. It is a very interesting sight when the largest butterfly in the world is born. Following the antennae, the head and legs of the imago appear from the bursting cocoon, and only then the wings. In the first moments, the wings are still small, curled, but gradually they stretch out and unfold until they reach their real size. The butterfly is ready to make its first flight as soon as its wings dry. Before this, she cannot fly and is most vulnerable.

Adult life and breeding

The largest butterfly in the world lives only for a couple of weeks. Its oral cavity is completely atrophied, and the giant nymphalid cannot feed. Throughout its life, the adult lives off the fat that it accumulated while it was in the caterpillar stage. The short lifespan of the world's largest butterfly is the biggest challenge when breeding it in captivity. If during this period it is not possible to find a partner, the butterfly does not have time to lay eggs and leave offspring.

Peacock-eye Atlas(Attacus atlas)

Class – Insects

Order – Lepidoptera

Family – Peacock-eyes

Rod – Attacus

Appearance

It is considered one of the largest butterflies in the world. Wingspan up to 26 cm.

These butterflies do not have a developed oral apparatus. They do not feed and live off the nutrients accumulated in the caterpillar stage.

The wings are colored in different shades of brown, yellow, bright red and pink and have one transparent triangular window. The female is slightly larger, her antennae are shorter and narrower than those of the male.

Habitat

It lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, from Northeast India to New Guinea.

In nature

Twilight view. Butterflies fly late in the evening and in the early morning hours.

The adult lives for about 10 days.

Reproduction

On the very first evening after emerging from the pupa, the male goes in search of a female. The female, emerging from the pupa, sits motionless, waiting for the male and is thus able to wait for him for several days. Mating lasts several hours. A male is capable of fertilizing two to three females. The next evening after mating, the female begins laying eggs on the food plant. Oviposition continues for several nights, and immediately after its completion the female dies. Caterpillars in nature feed on the leaves of a variety of woody tropical plants.

It is best to provide butterflies with a spacious, preferably mesh or mesh, indoor space, in which the temperature is maintained at +26 - +28 0 C and a relative air humidity of 70 - 80%.

Mating occurs in the early morning in the pre-dawn hours.

In the atlas, as well as in other peacock-eyes, closely related individuals do not mate or mate extremely reluctantly. Most often, refusal to mate is explained precisely by the closely related relationships of the partners. If the butterflies do not mate on their own, sometimes in the evening it is enough to place the male on the abdomen of a calmly sitting female.

Large white eggs are laid by the female on any surface and can be easily collected by hand, especially if they were laid on mesh fabric. In the latter case, collecting the eggs is necessary, otherwise they may dry out. After completion of egg laying, the female immediately dies. Incubation of eggs at a temperature of +26 - +28 0 C lasts 8 days.

The last instar caterpillars are greenish in color, with massive light blue processes all over the body, covered with a white waxy coating, reaching a length of 10 cm. The pupa is in a dense grayish-brown cocoon. Under artificial conditions, they readily eat leaves of lilac, poplar, willow, oak, etc.

Butterfly Peacock-Eye Atlas
Atlas is one of the largest (giant) butterflies. It belongs to the peacock-eye family, whose gigantic size will impress anyone.
The butterfly received the name “atlas” from the ancient Greek mythical hero Atlas, or Atlas. He held the vault of heaven on his shoulders. Only a very large butterfly could receive this name.
The wingspan of the atlas is up to 25 centimeters. In males, the fore wings are slightly larger than the hind wings. Females are of the same size. This causes sexual differences: males have a shape similar to a triangle, females - a square.
However, females are larger than males. Atlas ladies have a wingspan of up to 40 centimeters!
Butterflies' bodies are shorter than their wings. It is very voluminous, thick and red-brown in color. The color of the wings is the same in both males and females. The general tone is from chestnut to red, with a noticeable darkening in the center. Along the edges there is a black border and light brown stripes.
Justifying its belonging to the peacock-eyes, there is an “eye” on each wing. It is slightly pigmented and looks more like a triangle.
The atlas's habitats are in Thailand, Southern China, and Indonesia. These butterflies are also found in the foothills of the Himalayas. However, atlas is more common in tropical and subtropical forests.
Females do not lead very “full” lives. They move little and are close to their pupation site. They sit right there until they die.
Males are masters of aerobatics. They try to be in flight all the time, and in places with strong winds. This makes it easier and easier for them to smell the females and find a mate for mating.
The most amazing thing is that adult butterflies do not eat anything! They live off the reserves accumulated during the “caterpillar” age. That is why the lifespan of an adult butterfly (imago) is no more than 2 weeks.
Atlas caterpillars feed only on plant foods.
During the mating and breeding period, females emit odorous substances (pheromones). Their concentration is so insignificant that it is elusive to any living creature except the males of their own species, and at a distance of up to 3 km from the female herself.
After mating, the female lays eggs on the inner surface of the leaves. The diameter of the eggs is 25-30 mm. After about 2 weeks, caterpillars emerge from them, whose goal is to eat as much energy reserves as possible.
During the pupation period, the caterpillar weaves a cocoon. Its size can exceed 11 centimeters in length. The cocoon is suspended to reduce the risk of being eaten.
In nature, atlas has no enemies. But they reproduce very slowly, so any damage to the population requires a lot of time to recover.
Man destroyed these butterflies because of their cocoons. From the threads, people made fagar silk, which is more durable than silk from silkworm threads.
For reasons unknown to many, atlases are still not included in the World Red Book. However, their population is in dire need of protection.
Atlas protective pose. At the moment of danger, the butterfly opens its wings and shows bright spots - such war paint can frighten a predator.

The Atlas peacock eye (Attacus atlas) is found in Southeast Asia, Southern China, Thailand, Borneo and Indonesia. Prefers tropical and subtropical forests.
Distinctive properties
This is the largest butterfly in the world - its wingspan is 26 cm, and the average surface area is 400 cm2. The butterfly's body is small compared to its wings. Females are larger than males.
The male can be distinguished by the presence of fluffy antennae. The butterfly's brownish-yellow wings have patterns of white triangles and red and black stripes. In Hong Kong, this species is called the snakehead butterfly - the downward curved edges of the upper wings resemble two heads of a snake. This is an example of protective coloration - predators confuse an insect with a snake.
Residents of the island of Taiwan have come up with a very original use for the empty cocoons of the atlas peacock eye. They use them as wallets.
Lifestyle and reproduction
The life of these large butterflies consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
The imago of the peacock eye does not feed because its mouth is atrophied. It exists due to the reserves accumulated at the larval stage.
The species is endangered by poachers and collectors.
At the end of the female's abdomen there are special glands that secrete pheromones that attract males. After mating, the female lays eggs with a diameter of 2.5 mm, attaching them to the inside of the leaf. After about two weeks, the caterpillars appear. At first they feed on the leaves of various plants. When the caterpillar reaches 115 mm in length, the pupation stage begins. The cocoon seems simply huge, its weight sometimes reaches 12 g.
This is interesting
In India, the Atlas peacock eye is specially bred. Particular interest in insects is explained by the fact that the caterpillars of this species secrete threads, like the well-known silkworm (Bombyx mori). True, they have a slightly different chemical composition and differ in appearance - dark brown and woolly to the touch in the peacock moth versus long and thin in the silkworm, and it is more correct to call them not silk, but fagara. But in terms of mechanical properties, the product is in no way inferior to what is received from the “manufacturer” already familiar to everyone.

This giant butterfly amazes with its beauty and size. It's called Peacock-eye Atlas(Attacus atlas). Its wingspan reaches 26 cm, and its wing area reaches 400 square meters. cm. According to the last parameter, Atlas is considered the largest butterfly on the planet. It is found in the subtropics Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Thailand, southern China, Malay Archipelago. The largest specimen was documented on the island Java- this female had a wingspan of 262 mm.

Atlas is painted in shades of brown, bright red, yellow and pink. On each wing it has large transparent triangular “windows”. The front wings have a bizarrely curved edge, reminiscent in shape and color of a snake's head, which repels many insectivorous animals. For this unusual feature in Hong Kong the butterfly was nicknamed "The moth is the head of the snake."

In addition to its size, the giant beauty has another unique feature - a completely atrophied mouth. During its short (1-2 weeks) life, it does not feed on anything, but processes fat reserves accumulated while still being a caterpillar.

Atlas caterpillars are also huge - up to 10 cm in length. Their appearance is quite unusual: light green in color, with large bluish processes throughout the body, which are covered with a white waxy coating reminiscent of powder.

Atlases belong to the twilight species. They are active in the late evening and early morning hours, for which they received another sonorous nickname - “Prince of Darkness”.

The entire short life of these beautiful creatures is devoted exclusively to reproduction. On the very first evening after emerging from the pupa, the male goes in search of a female. The female, emerging from the pupa, sits motionless, waiting for the male, and is able to wait for him in this way for several days. She attracts males with powerful pheromones, the smell of which the male can smell with the help of his large feathery antennae at a distance of several kilometers! Mating lasts several hours. The next evening after mating, the female begins laying eggs. Oviposition continues for several nights, and immediately after its completion the female dies.

Atlases are not only beautiful, but also “useful” butterflies. In India, they are bred on special farms to produce fagar silk, which differs from mulberry silk in its wooliness, strength and extraordinary durability. And in Taiwan, wallets are made from the huge strong cocoons of this butterfly.

To admire Peacock-Eyed Atlas you don't have to go to Asia. She is being bred into Moscow Zoo.

Photographer Sandesh Kadur, while traveling in the Himalayas, photographed the largest moth in the world. The wingspan of this moth is 25 centimeters. When the photographer first saw him, he was a little scared. The open wings of the butterfly with a pattern on them created the impression of a large, angry snake's face. It’s not for nothing that Atlas is called “the butterfly with the head of a snake” in China.

According to experts, this is a kind of protection from enemies, and the butterfly itself is completely harmless and non-toxic. She doesn't even have a mouth. During its entire short life, which lasts only two weeks from the moment the pupa turns into a butterfly, this beautiful creature has only one goal - to lay as many eggs as possible. Atlases do not drink or eat. They live off the nutrients they received at the caterpillar stage.

Atlas is a giant butterfly that challenges the title of the largest in the world from the Agripinna moth. Atlas belongs to the family of peacock-eyes, the representatives of which are generally distinguished by their large size. The butterfly got its name in honor of the hero of ancient Greek mythology, Atlas (better known to us under the name Atlanta). According to legend, Atlas (Atlas) held the vault of heaven on his shoulders, thus the name of this butterfly emphasizes its gigantic size.

Male Atlas (Attacus atlas).

The wingspan of the atlas is 25o mm, the largest officially registered specimen had a wingspan of 262 mm, while the unofficial record for this species is already 289 mm! Males have forewings that are wider than their hindwings, so their body shape is more triangular; females have forewings and hindwings of approximately the same size, so their body shape fits into a square. Thus, the females of this butterfly are larger than the males; they hold the world record for the largest wing area among butterflies - 400 cm²!

An atlas sitting on a person’s hands gives a clear idea of ​​its size.

The body of the atlas itself is much shorter than the wings, but thick and voluminous, red-brown in color. The color of the wings of males and females is the same: the general background is chestnut-red - darker in the center and brighter at the edges, the edges of the wings are bordered by thin black and light brown stripes. The pattern also contains yellow and black elements. Like all peacock-eyes, the atlas has an eye on each wing, but it is relatively faintly noticeable. The fact is that the eyes are not pigmented, but translucent, as if covered with a film. The shape of the eyes is also unusual - almost triangular.

The underside of the wings is satin.

The atlas lives in the countries of Southeast Asia: Southern China, Thailand, Indonesia, and the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. This butterfly inhabits tropical and subtropical forests. Atlas females are practically motionless; throughout their short lives they remain close to the place of pupation. Males, on the contrary, flutter in search of females and try to locate themselves in ventilated places, where it is easier for them to catch the scent of a female. Adults do not feed and live off fat reserves accumulated at the caterpillar stage, so the lifespan of the imago (adult form) of the atlas is only 1-2 weeks. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of a variety of fruit plants - cinnamon (cinnamon tree), rambutan, hornbeam, lagerstroemia, ardisia, apple, willow, clerodendrum and various citrus fruits.

Male atlas on tree bark.

During the breeding season, females emit odorous substances - pheromones, imperceptible to humans, but males can detect their insignificant concentration at a distance of 2.5 km. Females lay red-brown eggs (25-3 mm in diameter) on the underside of the leaves. After 1-2 weeks, caterpillars emerge from them, the bodies of which have outgrowths. At first, the caterpillar's body is black, and the outgrowths are light yellow, then as it matures and increases in size, the light yellow color becomes predominant, and then the caterpillar acquires a bluish-green color, and the outgrowths become dusty, as if mealy. Before pupation, it weaves a cocoon of silky threads; the maximum length of the caterpillar is 11.5 cm. The cocoon-pupa is located on tree branches in a suspended state.

Atlas caterpillar just before pupation.

In their natural environment, atlases have few enemies, but due to their low fertility they are not a widespread species anywhere. Like all large animals, these butterflies are vulnerable and have difficulty restoring their numbers in places where they were once destroyed. At the same time, people destroy these butterflies for economic purposes. In India, their cocoons are sometimes used to produce threads. Unlike silkworm threads, satin threads are coarser and brown rather than white in color; they are used to produce stronger and woolier, so-called fagar silk. In Taiwan, entire atlas cocoons are cut and, after removing the pupa, used as purses. Atlases are not listed in the Red Book, but they need protection, because they have no equal among all butterflies.

Atlas protective pose. At the moment of danger, the butterfly opens its wings and shows bright spots - such war paint can frighten a predator.