r/Awwducational • u/SixteenSeveredHands • Oct 13 '24
Verified Madagascan Sunset Moth: these day-flying moths are sometimes mistaken for butterflies, because their iridescent scales give them a colorful, almost rainbow-like appearance
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u/Channa_Argus1121 Oct 14 '24
Butterflies themselves are moths, in terms of cladistics.
Their closest relatives are Bombycoids such as sphinx moths and silk moths.
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u/OtherkinGamer Oct 14 '24
Wow so interesting! Really thought this was type of butterfly cause info to me moths always have "feathery" antennae
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u/FixCrix Oct 15 '24
I thought moths rested with their wings horizontal and butterflies with their wings vertical.
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u/felicity_jericho_ttv Oct 14 '24
All i heard was gay trans butterfly 💜
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u/iliketreesanddogs Oct 22 '24
Gay trans toxic but aware butterfly is what I got ❤️ love this introspective queen
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u/____Pain___ Oct 15 '24
“Feed on the nectar of local flowers” soooo…. It’s a butterfly lol. No but seriously I love moths they’re so adorable and this one is absolutely beautiful 🥰
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u/SixteenSeveredHands Oct 13 '24 edited Oct 14 '24
The scientific name of this species is Chrysiridia rhipheus, but it's more commonly known as the Madagascan sunset moth. It can be found only in Madagascar.
The moths have a strikingly colorful appearance, especially when their underwings are exposed, because the underwing is covered in iridescent scales. The opposite side of the wing (i.e. the dorsal side) is primarily black, with much smaller patches of iridescent green, blue, and red. This is what the dorsal side looks like.
A "fringe" of white scales also runs along the edge of each wing, and these are especially prominent on the hindwings, as you can see here.
Like most day-flying moths, the adults of this species feed on the nectar of local flowers. As caterpillars, they are also known to feed on Omphalea plants, which are toxic; those toxins are sequestered by the caterpillars and then retained through the pupal and adult stages of development, which means that the adult moths are toxic. It's believed that their colorful appearance is aposomatic, deterring predators by warning them that the moth itself is toxic.
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