![]() When he senses a female nearby, he flies toward her and they mate. The male luna moth has much larger, bushier, and more sensitive antennae than the female, designed to detect these pheromones and be guided toward a female. Her pheromone production peaks at about midnight, enticing the nocturnal males to come find her. However, instead of flying right away, the female stays where she is, and instead begins to emit powerful pheromones designed to attract males. Females emerge later in the day, and also dry their wings, because the ability to fly at night is key for protection from predators. Males emerge in the morning, and spend 2-3 hours drying their wings and preparing for flight. Both moths emerge from their cocoons with weak, damp, folded wings that are not yet ready to fly. While differences between male and female luna moths are difficult to detect earlier in life, it is in their adult phase that the differences become clear. Just before they are ready to make a cocoon, they turn a deep brownish orange color. These actions have been shown to deter many attackers, even though a caterpillar of such enormous size is appealing to many predators. When attacked or threatened, luna moth caterpillars can rear up on their hind legs, make a clicking sound, and even vomit unpleasant fluids onto their attacker. ![]() The larvae go through five instars over the course of two months of feeding, eventually reaching an enormous 65 millimeters in length. The species of tree that the caterpillars favor vary depending on their region, but they live and feed on the leaves of birch, alder, persimmon, hickory, walnut, willow, ash, and other trees. While they are young, they may stay with their siblings, before moving off and settling in to a solitary life of eating the plant they have settled on. Like many caterpillars, their main occupation is eating. Luna moth caterpillars are bright green with pale green or golden spots, and have tiny spiny hairs on them.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |