Giant Leopard Moth

Appearance

This species has a wingspan of 76 mm. The wings of this moth are bright white with a pattern of neat black blotches, some solid and some hollow. The abdomen is dark blue with orange markings, the male has a narrow yellow line on the sides.

Its legs have black and white bands. Adult moths are strictly nocturnal and do not generally fly before nightfall.

Behavior

The caterpillar is of the "Woolly Bear" kind, with a thick coat of black bristles and red or orange colored bands between its segments, which become conspicuous when the caterpillar rolls into a ball for defense.

Food

The caterpillar eats a variety of broad-leaf plants such as broadleaf plantains, dandelions and violets:
⤷  ''Bougainvillea''
⤷  ''Brassica''
⤷  ''Brugmansia''
⤷  ''Cannabis''
⤷  ''Citrus''
⤷  ''Euphorbia''
⤷  ''Helianthus''
⤷  ''Lonicera''
⤷  ''Magnolia''
⤷  ''Morus''
⤷  ''Musa''
⤷  ''Paulownia''
⤷  ''Persea''
⤷  ''Phytolacca''
⤷  ''Plantago''
⤷  ''Pyrostegia''
⤷  ''Ricinus''
⤷  ''Robinia''
⤷  ''Salix''
⤷  ''Syringa''
⤷  ''Taraxacum''
⤷  ''Viola''
⤷  ''Ocimum basilicum''
⤷  ''Lettuce''