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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Attacus atlas
Lepidoptera / Saturniidae
The Atlas moth combines broad brown wings, pale window-like patches and strongly curved forewing tips. Adults live on reserves accumulated by the caterpillar and take no food.
Read the species account
Attacus atlas is a large Asian silk moth in Saturniidae. [2]
The brown forewings have an extended, downward-curving apex. Angular orange-brown, white and black lines enclose the basal region, while a dark-edged pale triangular patch occupies the middle of the wing. Dark streaks and a reddish-brown mark accent the projecting tip. [2]
Larvae feed on trees including cinnamon, citrus and guava. Privet was used to rear them in the Natural History Museum’s butterfly house. The adult proboscis is reduced and nonfunctional; adults rely on stored larval reserves. [1]
Adults rest through much of the day and seek mates at night. [1]
The larva spins its cocoon from strong brown silk. The fibre is known as fagara. [1]
At Yishun Ring Road in January 2017, numerous larvae occupied a sentul tree, Sandoricum koetjape, that had apparently been stripped of foliage. Cocoons remained on the tree, while other larvae moved along its trunk and branches or across the ground. [3]
Katie Pavid; Natural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-11
Lok and colleagues; Nature in Singapore · Accessed 2026-10-11
Raem Tan Zhi Yan; Singapore Biodiversity Records 2017,22 · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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