The Biggest Moth in the World...

I suddenly remembered that I did have a photograph of a moth from Peru... So, meet Thysania agrippina!


Thysania agrippina is otherwise known as the Giant Agrippa or, more commonly, the White Witch. It has the largest wing span of any moth in the world and is found in tropical rain forests throughout central and south America.

I had never seen one before. Whilst walking a trail at the Allpahuayo/Mishana Reserve near Iquitos during the quiet of mid afternoon we flushed this large flying creature from a tree. At first it appeared to be a bird it was so large but quickly revealed itself to be a huge moth. Luckily it settled again on the trunk of a nearby tree and we were able to secure excellent views of this most massive of lepidopterans. I only had my video camera with me so the pix were not the greatest, but you get the general idea. I think with wing span might have been somewhere in the region of ten inches!

One thing is for sure, it would never have fitted into my moth trap back home... not even through the "Britney Love Canal" - joke for my friend Mike there...