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Index of Bugs
Luna moths begin their life cycle as an egg and go through complete metamorphosis. A female Luna moth can lay up to 200 eggs in her life. She deposits her eggs in small groups on the leaves of her favorite types of trees such as persimmon, sweet gum, hickory, and walnut in the deciduous forests of North America. The eggs hatch in about ten days.
A Luna moth caterpillar uses its mouth, built for chewing, to eat leaves. Luna moth caterpillars change their skin five times as they grow.
Once a Luna moth caterpillar is full-grown, it stops eating and makes a paper-thin, brown cocoon. The caterpillar spins a silk cocoon into which it also weaves leaves. The caterpillar inside metamorphoses into a pupa. Luna moths overwinter in this stage.
The pupa changes into an adult Luna moth that emerges from the cocoon.
A Luna moth can have a wingspan of about 3 to 4 inches. It is one of the largest moth species in North America. The adult Luna moth does not have a mouth. It does not eat. The moths only live about a week, long enough to mate and for the female to lay eggs.
The female Luna moth releases a pheromone from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. This behavior is termed “calling”. It attracts males from great distances.Male and female Luna moths look very much alike. To tell a male from a female, look at its antennae.
The feathery antennae of the male enable it to detect the pheromones emitted by the female and find his way to the female to mate on a warm summer night. Luna moths are nocturnal, meaning they are active only when it is nighttime.
To learn more about Luna moths and to see them in action, order the Backyard Bugs DVD.
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