The Indian Moon Moth

The Indian Moon Moth or Indian Luna Moth (Actias selene) is a species of moth. This species is popular among amateur entomologists and is often reared from eggs or cocoons that are available from commercial sources. They are also known to fly mainly at night.

Indian Moon Moths are found in areas stretching from India all the way to Japan. They have been found in Nepal, Ceylon, Borneo and other western Asian islands.

With a wingspan of up to 5 inches, the Indian Moon Moth has with pale-green, almost translucent wings that curve down into a swallow tail. The wings have small "eye spots" and usually a pink or purple edge. The body is fat and white, while the legs are often dark pink. Though they are very similar in appearance to Luna Moths, they are normally larger.

The life cycle of the Indian Moon Moth consists of four different stages: egg, larva, pupa/chrysalis and adult (or imago). It begins with the egg, which once laid will incubate for almost 2 weeks. When it hatches, a red-and-black larva (or caterpillar) will emerge. Caterpillars eat voraciously from trees like sweet gum, cherry, willow and hawthorn. This feeding is important, as once they become adults they will no longer have functional mouths and must rely on the energy stored up during the larva stage. During the larva stage, they will also go through developmental periods called "instars." This is the period between moulting, when the caterpillar is growing and changing color and size. The second instar for Indian Moon Moth caterpillars has them appearing more red than black, and by the third they should be looking very green. Once an Indian Moon Moth caterpillar has completed the instar developmental phases, it will spin a brown, oval cocoon for the pupa stage. After this it will emerge as an adult moth. Its lifespan once it has reached adulthood can last from a few days to a few weeks.