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{{short description|Species of insect}} {{good article}} {{Use dmy dates |date=April 2025}} {{Speciesbox | name = Luna moth | image = Actias luna-male.jpg | image_caption = Male | image2 = Actias luna female sjh.JPG | image2_caption = Female | status = G5 | status_system = TNC | status_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.109121/Actias_luna |website=explorer.natureserve.org |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> | taxon = Actias luna | authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]) }} [[File:Luna Moth2.jpg|thumb|Mounted specimen]] The '''luna moth''' ('''''Actias luna'''''), also called the '''American moon moth''', is a [[Nearctic realm|Nearctic]] [[moth]] in the family [[Saturniidae]], subfamily [[Saturniinae]], a group [[common name|commonly named]] the [[giant silk moth]]s. The moth has [[lime (color)|lime-green]] wings and a white body. Its [[caterpillar]]s are also green. Its typical [[wingspan]] is roughly {{cvt|114|mm|in}}, but wingspans can exceed {{cvt|178|mm|in}}, ranking the species as one of the larger moths in [[North America]]. Across Canada, it has one generation per year, with the winged adults appearing in late May or early June, whereas farther south it will have two or even three generations per year, the first appearance as early as March in [[Southern United States|southern parts]] of the United States.<ref name=Tuskes1996 /> As [[defense mechanism]]s, larvae emit clicks as a warning and can also regurgitate intestinal contents, confirmed as having a [[anti-predator adaptation|deterrent effect]] on a variety of predators.<ref name=Brown2007/> The elongated tails of the hindwings are thought to confuse the [[animal echolocation|echolocation]] detection used by predatory bats.<ref name=Lee2016 /><ref name=Barber2015 /> A [[Compsilura concinnata|parasitoid fly]] deliberately [[introduced species|introduced]] to North America as a [[biological pest control]] for the [[invasive species]] [[Lymantria dispar|spongy moth]] (also known as gypsy moth) appears to have had a negative impact on luna moths and other native moths.<ref name=Elkinton2004 /><ref name=Kellogg2003 /> == Description == Eggs, attached in small groups to undersides of leaves, are mottled white and brown, slightly oval, and roughly 1.5 millimeters in diameter.<ref name=UnivFL /> Larvae are primarily green, with sparse hairs. The first [[instar]], emerging from the egg, reaches a length of {{convert|6-8|mm|abbr=on}}, the second {{convert|9-10|mm|abbr=on}}, the third {{convert|12-16|mm|abbr=on}} and the fourth {{convert|23-26|mm|abbr=on}}. The fifth (final) instar grows to approximately {{convert|70-90|mm|abbr=on}} in length.<ref name=UnivFL/> Small, colorful dots – yellow or magenta – may line the sides of the fourth and fifth instars. The larvae may take on a reddish-brown color just prior to [[Cocoon (silk)|cocooning]]. Fifth-instar larvae descend to the ground and use silk to bind dead leaves around the cocoon.<ref name=Tuskes1996/> The [[imago]]es (winged, sexually mature), often referred to as adult moths, emerge from the [[pupae]] with the wings small, crumpled and held close to the body. Over several hours the wings will enlarge to full size. Wingspan is typically {{convert|8|β|11.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and in rare instances as much as {{convert|17.78|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Females and males are similar in size and appearance: green wings, eyespots on both forewings and hind wings, and long, sometimes somewhat twisted tails extending from the back edge of the hindwings. Bodies are white and hairy. Adults have [[vestigial]] mouthparts and do not feed. Energy is from fat stores created while a caterpillar. The forward edge of the forewing is dark-colored and thick, tapering in thickness from the thorax to the wing tip. Its color can range from maroon to brown. The eyespots, one per wing, are oval in shape on the forewings and round on the hindwings. Each eyespot can have arcs of black, blue, red, yellow, green or white. The [[eyespot (mimicry)|eyespots]] are thought to confuse potential predators.<ref name=Tuskes1996/><ref name=UnivFL/> There are some sex-determined and regional differences in appearance. Females will have a larger abdomen compared to males because it contains 200–400 eggs. Both sexes have [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]], but on the male, much longer and wider. Wing color is blue-green in the north and for the overwintering generation in the central and southern states; second and third generation wing color has more of a yellow-green tint.<ref name=Tuskes1996/> == Etymology == Described and named ''Phalena plumata caudata'' by [[James Petiver]] in 1700, this was the first North American saturniid to be reported in the insect literature.<ref name=Tuskes1996>{{Citation |vauthors= Tuskes PM, Tuttle JP, Collins MM |year= 1996 |title= The Wild Silk Moths of North America: A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada |publisher= Cornell University Press |location= Ithaca, New York |pages= 182β184 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3vqpGATXU2oC&q=Phalena+plumata+caudata&pg=PA182|access-date=30 July 2018|isbn= 978-0801431302 }}.</ref> The initial Latin name, which roughly translates to "brilliant, feather tail",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://infinitespider.com/five-facts-about-the-luna-moth/ |title=Five Facts About the Luna Moth |website=The Infinite Spider - A Science and Nature Blog for Naturalists and Educators |date=24 June 2017 |access-date=2 August 2018}}</ref> was replaced when [[Carl Linnaeus]] described the species in 1758 in the tenth edition of [[Lepidoptera in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Systema Naturae]], and renamed it ''Phalaena luna'', later ''Actias luna'', with ''luna'' derived from [[Luna (goddess)|Luna]], the Roman moon goddess. The common name became "Luna moth".<ref name=Tuskes1996 /> Several other North American giant silk moths were also given species names after Roman or Greek mythology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nationalmothweek.org/2014/04/29/our-giant-silk-moths-and-ancient-mythology/ |title=Our Giant Silk Moths and Ancient Mythology |date=2014 |website=National Moth Week |access-date=2 August 2018}}</ref> == Distribution == The Luna moth is found in North America, from east of the [[Great Plains]] in the United States – [[Florida]] to [[Maine]], and from [[Saskatchewan]] eastward through central [[Quebec]] to [[Nova Scotia]] in [[Canada]].<ref name=Tuskes1996/><ref name=UnivFL>{{cite web |url=http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/moths/luna_moth.htm |title=Luna moth β ''Actias luna'' (Linnaeus)|last=Hall |first=DW |website=Featured Creatures, Entomology & Nematology Department, University of Florida |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?kind=Actias+luna¢roid=US |title=North American map of ''Actias Luna'' |website=Discovery Life |access-date=28 July 2018}}</ref> Luna moths are also rarely found in Western Europe as [[Vagrancy (biology)|vagrants]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.standard.co.uk/news/rare-luna-moth-found-in-devon-after-travelling-4000-miles-from-its-north-american-home-6830894.html|title=Rare Luna moth found in Devon ... after travelling 4,000 miles from its North American home |date=2008-06-11|website=Evening Standard|access-date=2019-02-09}}</ref> == Life cycle == [[File:Actias Luna Fieldbookofinsec00lutz 0195.jpg|alt=Drawing of lifecycle|left|thumb|upright|Illustration by [[Edna Libby BeutenmΓΌller|Edna Libby Beutenmuller]] from ''Field Book of Insects'' (1918)]] Based on the [[climate]] in which they live, Luna moths produce different numbers of [[generation]]s per year. In Canada and northern regions of the United States, they are [[voltinism|univoltine]], meaning one generation per year. Life stages are approximately 10 days as eggs, 6β7 weeks as larvae, 2β3 weeks as pupae, finishing with one week as winged adults appearing in late May or early June. In the mid-Atlantic states, the species is bivoltine, characterized by two generations per year. In contrast, farther south, they are trivoltine, producing three generations within the same time frame. In the central states, the first generation appears in April, the second in July. Even farther south, the first generation appears as early as March, with the second and third spaced eight to ten weeks later.<ref name=Tuskes1996/> === Eggs === Females lay 200β400 eggs, singly or in small groups, on the underside of leaves of the tree species preferred by the larvae. Egg laying starts the evening after mating is completed and goes on for several days. Eggs hatch in about a week.<ref name=Tuskes1996/><ref name=UnivFL/> === Larvae === Each [[instar]] – the period between molts – generally takes about 4β10 days. There are five instars before [[Cocoon (silk)|cocooning]]. At the end of each instar, a small amount of silk is placed on the major vein of a leaf and the larva undergoes [[apolysis]], then [[ecdysis]] (molting), leaving the old [[exoskeleton]] behind. Sometimes the shed exoskeleton is eaten. Newly hatched, this caterpillar constantly munches on the leaves of walnut, hickory, sweetgum, and paper birch trees. Each instar is green, though the first two instars do have some variation in which some larvae will have black underlying splotches on their [[Dorsum (biology)|dorsal]] side. The final instar grows to approximately {{convert|70|to|90|mm|abbr=on}} in length. All five instar stages possess green spines on the dorsal surface. These spines do not sting, but can still cause irritation upon contact.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Aleem |date=2024-05-21 |title=Green Caterpillars: Discover Types, Identification, and Control |url=https://gardencomposer.com/green-caterpillars/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=AI Garden Composer}}</ref> This is a tree-dwelling species. Larvae stay on the same tree where they hatched until it is time to descend to the ground to make a cocoon. When females emerge from cocoons, they fly to preferred tree species, emit pheromones, and wait there for males to find them.<ref name=Tuskes1996/><ref name=UnivFL/> Although some larvae in the family [[Saturniidae]] are known to be poisonous, those of ''A. luna'' are not. The spines, or setae, located on the thoracic and abdominal segments have no chemical component to them.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hall |first=D. W. |date=October 2019 |url=https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/moths/luna_moth.htm |title=Common name: luna moth: scientific name: ''Actias'' (=''Tropaea'') ''luna'' (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Saturniidae: Saturniinae) |publisher=Featured Creatures, University of Florida |access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref> === Pupae === The Luna moth [[pupa]]tes after spinning a silk cocoon, which is thin and single layered. Shortly before pupation, the final, fifth-instar caterpillar will engage in a "gut dump" where any excess water and intestinal contents are expelled. As pupae, this species is more physically active than most moths. When disturbed, the moths will wiggle within their pupal cases, producing a noise. Pupation takes approximately two weeks unless the individual is in [[diapause]] over winter, in which case the pupal stage takes about nine months. The mechanisms triggering diapause are generally a mixture of genetic triggers, duration of sunlight and temperature. The pupae have chitinous spurs near the base of the forewings. By vigorously moving about within the cocoon, these spurs tear a circular opening from which the imago emerges, the silk of the cocoon having also been weakened by the secretion of [[cocoonase]], a protein-digesting enzyme.<ref name=Tuskes1996/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/Creatures/MISC/MOTHS/polyphemus_moth.htm |title=Polyphemus moth |last=Hall |first=DW |website=Featured Creatures, Entomology & Nematology Department, University of Florida |access-date=8 August 2018}}</ref> === Imago (winged) === Pupae transition to winged state after receiving external signals in the form of temperature change. When the adult Luna moths emerge from their pupae, their abdomens are swollen and their wings are small, soft and wet. The first few hours of adult life will be spent pumping [[hemolymph]] (invertebrates' equivalent to blood) from the abdomen into the wings. The moths must wait for the wings to dry and harden before being able to fly. This process can take 2β3 hours to complete. Luna moths are not rare, but are rarely seen due to their very brief (7β10 day) adult lives and [[nocturnal]] flying time. As with all giant silk moths, the adults only have vestigial mouthparts and no digestive system and therefore do not eat in their adult form. Instead, they rely on energy stored during their caterpillar stage. In regions where there are two or three generations per year, the second and third may have wing coloration that is more of a yellow-green compared to the first generation of the year.<ref name=Tuskes1996/> === Mating === Giant silk moths have in common a mating process wherein the females, at night, release volatile sex [[pheromone]]s, which the males, flying, detect via their large [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]]. Males can detect these molecules at a distance of several miles, and then fly in the direction the wind is coming from until reaching the female. Luna moth females mate with the first males to find them, a process that typically starts after midnight and takes several hours.<ref name=Tuskes1996 /> Researchers extracted three chemical compounds from the pheromone gland of unmated Luna moth females and identified one major and two minor aldehyde compounds designated ''E''6,''Z''11-18:Ald, ''E''6-18:Ald and ''Z''11-18:Ald. The same compounds were also synthesized. Field experiments with both unmated females and the synthesized compounds confirmed that E6, Z11-18:Ald was the major sex pheromone, attraction augmented by the addition of E6-18:Ald but not by Z11-18:Ald. The authors mentioned that no other moth species were attracted to either the unmated females or the synthesized products, confirming that the pheromone is species-specific, at least for the sites and dates where it was tested.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Millar JG, Haynes KF, Dossey AT, McElfresh JS, Allison JD |title=Sex attractant pheromone of the Luna moth, ''Actias luna'' (Linnaeus) |journal=[[Journal of Chemical Ecology]] |volume=42 |issue=9 |pages=869β876 |date=2016 |pmid=27544534 |doi=10.1007/s10886-016-0751-6 |bibcode=2016JCEco..42..869M |s2cid=44327978 }}</ref> === Gallery of life cycle === <gallery> File:Actias luna eggs sjh.JPG|Eggs from female raised in captivity, laid on coarse paper File:Actias luna 1st instar hatching sjh.jpg|Hatching larva File:Actias luna 4th instar sjh.JPG|4th-instar larva. Spots can also be yellow or magenta. File:Actias luna spinning sjh.JPG|5th-instar larva starting to create a cocoon (note silk strands to leaves) File:Actias luna male pupa sjh.JPG|Pupa, removed from cocoon. Eyes visible at head end (left) File:Actias luna emergence male 7 sjh.JPG|Wings drying and enlarging after emergence from pupa File:Actias luna mating sjh.JPG|Mating imagoes (winged adults). Male, with larger antennae, on left </gallery> === Close-up images === <gallery> File:Luna Moth, closeup of antennae.jpg|Antennae (male) File:Actias luna eyespot sjh.JPG|Eye-spot on hindwing File:Luna moth eye spot.jpg|Eye-spot on forewing File:Luna moth scales.jpg|Extreme close-up of scales in eye-spot </gallery> == Predators and parasites == Some species of giant silk moth larvae are known to make clicking noises when attacked by rubbing their serrated mandibles together and can release a regurgitation of distasteful fluids.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sourakov |first=Andrei |date=2018-02-24 |title=Size, spines and crochets: defences of luna moth caterpillars against predation by brown anoles |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00222933.2018.1439540 |journal=[[Journal of Natural History]] |volume=52 |issue=7β8 |pages=483β490 |doi=10.1080/00222933.2018.1439540 |bibcode=2018JNatH..52..483S |issn=0022-2933|url-access=subscription }}</ref> These clicks are audible to humans and extend into ultrasound frequencies audible to predators. Clicks are thought to be a form of [[Aposematism|aposematic]] warning signaling, made prior to predator-deterring regurgitation of intestinal contents. Luna moth larvae click and regurgitate, with the regurgitated material confirmed as being a predator deterrent against several species.<ref name=Brown2007>{{cite journal |vauthors=Brown SG, Boettner GH, Yack JE |title=Clicking caterpillars: acoustic aposematism in ''Antheraea polyphemus'' and other Bombycoidea |journal=[[The Journal of Experimental Biology]] |volume=210 |issue=Pt 6 |pages=993β1005 |date=2007 |pmid=17337712 |doi=10.1242/jeb.001990 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2007JExpB.210..993B }}</ref> [[Imago]]s (winged adults) of this and related night-flying ''[[Actias]]'' species, collectively referred to as "moon moths", have long hindwing tails. A "false target" hypothesis holds that the tails evolved to reduce predation risk by bats which use echolocation to locate prey.<ref name=Lee2016>{{cite journal |vauthors=Lee WJ, Moss CF |title=Can the elongated hindwing tails of fluttering moths serve as false sonar targets to divert bat attacks? |journal=[[Journal of the Acoustical Society of America]] |volume=139 |issue=5 |pages=2579β2588 |date=2016 |pmid=27250152 |doi=10.1121/1.4947423 |bibcode=2016ASAJ..139.2579L }}</ref> The moths use the spinning hindwing tails to fool bats into attacking nonessential appendages, with success occurring over 55% of the time.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barber |first1=Jesse R. |last2=Leavell |first2=Brian C. |last3=Keener |first3=Adam L. |last4=Breinholt |first4=Jesse W. |last5=Chadwell |first5= Brad A. |last6=McClure |first6=Christopher J. W. |last7=Hill |first7=Geena M. |last8=Kawahara |first8=Akito Y. |name-list-style=amp |date=2015 |title=Moth tails divert bat attack: Evolution of acoustic deflection |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]] |volume=112 |issue=9 |pages=2812β2816 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1421926112|pmid=25730869 | pmc=4352808 |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.2812B |doi-access=free }}</ref> Experiments were conducted with Luna moths with intact wings and with the tails removed. With intact wings, a majority of the attacking bats contacted the hindwing tails rather than the body of the moth; only 35% of intact moths were caught versus 81% for those with clipped tails. The results of this experiment support echolocation distortion as an effective countermeasure.<ref name=Barber2015>{{cite journal |vauthors=Barber JR, Leavell BC, Keener AL, Breinholt JW, Chadwell BA, McClure CJ, Hill GM, Kawahara AY |title=Moth tails divert bat attack: evolution of acoustic deflection |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=112 |issue=9 |pages=2812β2816 |date=2015 |pmid=25730869 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1421926112 | pmc=4352808 |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.2812B |doi-access=free }}</ref> The parasitoid [[Tachinidae|tachinid]] fly ''[[Compsilura concinnata]]'' native to Europe was deliberately introduced to the United States throughout much of the 20th century as a biological control for the [[Lymantria dispar|gypsy moth (''Lymantria dispar'')]] (also known as the "spongy moth").<ref name=Elkinton2004>Multiple sources: * {{cite web |url=https://www.invasive.org/hostrange/ch2.pdf |title=Chapter 2: The effects of ''Compsilura concinnata'', an introduced generalist tachinid, on non-target species in North America: a cautionary tale. IN: Assessing Host Ranges of Parasitoids and Predators used for Classical Biological Control |vauthors=Elkinton JS, Boettner GH |date=2004 |website=Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, U.S. Dept. Agriculture |access-date=4 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916180731/https://www.invasive.org/hostrange/ch2.pdf|archive-date=16 September 2021|url-status=live}} * {{cite journal |vauthors=Elkinton JS, Parry D, Boettner GH |title=Implicating an introduced generalist parasitoid in the invasive browntail moth's enigmatic demise |journal=[[Ecology (journal)|Ecology]] |volume=87 |issue=10 |pages=2664β2672 |date=2006 |pmid=17089674 |doi=10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2664:iaigpi]2.0.co;2 |url=https://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=joseph_elkinton|access-date=January 7, 2025|via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref> Researchers reported that when Luna moth larvae were placed outside for about a week and then collected and returned to the laboratory, four parasitic species emerged, the most common being ''C. concinnata''. The researchers concluded that this parasitoid fly causes collateral damage to Luna moth populations.<ref name=Kellogg2003>Multiple sources: * {{cite web |first=Shelly |last=Kellogg |title=Parasitism of silk moths at Sweet Briar College |url=http://www2.sbc.edu/honors/HJ_2002/kellogg.htm |date=July 3, 2002 |access-date=February 8, 2011 |publisher=[[Sweet Briar College]] |work=Honors Journal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827182459/http://www2.sbc.edu/honors/HJ_2002/kellogg.htm|archive-date=August 27, 2007|url-status=dead}} * {{cite journal |vauthors=Kellogg SK, Fink LS, Brower LP |title=Parasitism of native Luna moths, ''Actias luna'' (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) by the introduced ''Compsilura concinnata'' (Meigen) (Diptera: Tachinidae) in central Virginia, and their hyperparasitism by Trigonalid wasps (Hymenoptera: Trigonalidae) |journal=[[Environmental Entomology]] |volume=32 |issue=5|publisher=[[Entomological Society of America]] and [[Oxford University Press]]|pages=1019β1027|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221959040|doi=10.1603/0046-225X-32.5.1019|access-date=11 January 2024|via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref> Luna moth larvae have displayed defenses against predators in late instars by developing spines once they reach about 3 cm in length. Unlike other species such as ''[[Automeris io]]'', which have chemical defenses much earlier in the larval stage, the Luna moth larvae are left largely defenseless until it reaches this length. However, the absence of a chemical defense allows for the shortening of the larval stage. ''Automeris io'' has a larval stage at least twice as long on average as ''Actias luna'', leaving it vulnerable to [[parasitism]].<ref>{{cite journal |first=Andrei |last=Sourakov |date=2018 |title=Size, spines and crochets: defences of luna moth caterpillars against predation by brown anoles |journal=Journal of Natural History |volume=52 |issue=7β8 |pages=483β490 |doi=10.1080/00222933.2018.1439540|bibcode=2018JNatH..52..483S |s2cid=90239933 }}</ref> == Host plants == The larvae of Luna moths feed on several different species of [[broadleaf trees]]. The larvae do not reach population densities sufficient to cause significant damage to their host trees.<ref name=UnivFL /> Tuskes listed white birch (''[[Betula papyrifera]]''), American persimmon (''[[Diospyros virginiana]]''), American sweet gum (''[[Liquidambar styraciflua]]''), plus several species of [[hickory]] (''Carya''), [[walnut]] (''Juglans'') and [[sumac]] (''Rhus'') as host plants for the caterpillars.<ref name=Tuskes1996/> Other tree species have been identified as suitable for ''Actias luna'' larvae, but a feeding experiment that also included [[black cherry]], [[eastern cottonwood]], [[quaking aspen]], [[white willow]], [[red oak]], [[white oak]] and [[tulip tree]] reported very poor survival on these seven tree species even though older literature had identified them as hosts. The author suggested that host plant utilization may differ regionally, so that larvae collected from one region may not tolerate host plants readily consumed in another region (northern populations often lose the ability to digest sweetgum, while southern ones may undergo the same with willows).<ref name=Lindroth1989/> Biochemical detoxification of host plant defensive chemicals by digestive system enzymes may be a factor in regional host plant specialization.<ref name=Lindroth1989/> [[Juglone]] is a chemical compound common to walnut and hickory which most insects find a deterrent or even toxic. Luna moth larvae have higher concentrations of juglone-neutralizing digestive system enzymes compared to other [[lepidoptera]], and concentrations were even higher when larvae were fed walnut or hickory leaves versus white birch or American sweet gum. This suggests evolutionary and inducible adaptations to allow consumption of certain host plants.<ref name=Lindroth1989>{{cite journal |vauthors=Lindroth RL |s2cid=24487403 |title=Chemical ecology of the luna moth: Effects of host plant on detoxification enzyme activity |journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology |volume=15 |issue=7 |pages=2019β2029 |date=1989 |pmid=24272292 |doi=10.1007/BF01207434 |bibcode=1989JCEco..15.2019L }}</ref> == In popular culture == The Luna moth appeared on a first class United States postage stamp issued in June 1987. Although more than two dozen butterflies have been so honored,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://usstampgallery.com/search.php?stamp_category=butterflies&t=85 |title=Butterflies |website=U.S. Stamp Gallery |access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref> as of 2019 this is the only moth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=f4d4306af6ae9dc145c7aa63e820533243b86722&Luna_moth&st=&ss=&t=85&s=4&syear=&eyear |title=Luna moth |website=U.S. Stamp Gallery |access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref> == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == {{Commons category}} {{Wikispecies}} * [http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/zlunmoth.htm Luna moth info] * [http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/Actiaslunarearing.htm Rearing ''Actias luna''] * [http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Actias-luna ''Actias luna'' at www.butterfliesandmoths.org] * [https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/moths/view.php?MONA_number=7758.00 ''Actias luna'' at Moths of North Carolina] {{Taxonbar|from=Q135289}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Actias|luna moth]] [[Category:Moths described in 1758]] [[Category:Moths of North America]] [[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
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