Brahmaea wallichii
{{Short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = DSC03621塔山自然生態枯求籮紋蛾(ID555594025).jpg
| image_caption = Subspecies B. w. insulata
| taxon = Brahmaea wallichii
| authority = Gray, 1831Gray, J.E. (1831): Description of a new species of Bombyx from Nepaul, discovered by Dr. WALLICH. — The Zoological Miscellany (London), 1, 1831: 39. [https://archive.org/details/zoologicalmisce00graygoog/page/n42 scan]
| synonyms =
- Bombyx wallichii Gray, 1831
- Brahmaea conchifera Butler, 1880{{cite web |url=http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/bombycoidea/brahmaeidae/brahmaea/index.html |title=Genus Brahmaea |last=Savela |first=Markku |publisher=funet.fi |date=November 24, 2002 |accessdate=2009-03-09}}
- Brahmophthalma wallichii
}}
Brahmaea wallichii, also known as the owl moth, is a moth from the family Brahmaeidae, the Brahmin moths, and one of its largest species. It is found in the north of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, and Japan. The owl moth is nocturnal.{{cite book |last1=Carter |first1=David |title=Butterflies and Moths |date=2002 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=United States |isbn=0-7894-8983-X |pages=304 |edition=Second}} The wingspan is about {{convert|90|-|160|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=off}}.
Appearance
Etymology
The species is named after the botanist Nathaniel Wallich.
Behavior
The larvae feed on Fraxinus excelsior, Ligustrum and common lilac. In captivity they also feed on elderberry. They are able to neutralize plant toxins produced by Ligustrum.{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Insect Physiology |volume=47 |issue=12 |year=2001 |pages=1451–1457 |author=Kotaro Konno |author2=Sachiko Okada |author3=Chikara Hirayama |name-list-style=amp |title=Selective secretion of free glycine, a neutralizer against a plant defense chemical, in the digestive juice of the privet moth larvae |doi=10.1016/S0022-1910(01)00135-4|pmid=12770151 }}
The moths are active at night; during the daytime, they rest with outspread wings on tree trunks or on the ground. When disturbed, the moth does not fly away, but fiercely shakes.{{cite book |last=Carter |first=David J. |title=Vlinders (translated book) |language=nl |trans-title=Butterflies |year=1993 |publisher=Bosch & Keuning |location=Baarn |isbn=90-246-4923-4 |pages=216 |edition=First (translated) }}
Habitat
The habitat is both tropical and temperate forests.
Subspecies
- Brahmaea wallichii wallichii
- Brahmaea wallichii insulata Inoue, 1984 (Taiwan)
- Brahmaea wallichii saifulica de Freina, 1983 (western Himalaya)
References
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies}}
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Category:Moths described in 1831