Big butterfly

[Chong Boy]

no this isn't a sex tourist thread!!

Had this visitor a couple of weeks ago and forgot about him. He flopped down in the road outside and was too weak to fly.



reckon she was on her last legs as her wings were tattered and after a couple of hours one of them broke in vain attempts at lift off.



was so impressed I ran off to get a ruler and she measures about 10" which is by far the biggest one I have seen outside of a museum or with a pin sticking out of it.



Next morning there were dozens of little eggs all over the shop where she stayed and lived for about 5-6 days before she got dumped over the wall by the old mother.
Next day a kid asked if it was still here as one the same, with the broken wing was walking around the school about 800m away!!!
Guess it was a tough little bugger

[Happyman]

Hatched one out from a crysalis (sp) its an Attacus Atlas - notice how the wing tips look like a snake head
Got a couple of pics of it just after it hatched - gotta downsize one but will do tonight and post them.
The pattern is very clear on undamaged wings

[good2bhappy]

Caught one in Nakon Pathom close to 40 years ago

[Happyman]

Ah! F*ck it!
Being a computer thikko and even with the tutorials in TD , I STILL cant post pics from my Gallery ( No sarky comments from E.G. please!)

Couple of pics there- if you can post them for me Chong Boy -would be most grateful ! LOL

[Chong Boy]

There you go Happy man, indeed the same one, stunning.

and the other...

[Chong Boy]

never noticed the snake head before in the wing tips, nice!

[Happyman]

The crysalis (sp) was huge about 9 cm X 4 cm dia !
Hatched it for a friend, Steve Bird , a butterfly expert ( see E.G.'s previous posts) and now it is in his butterfly farm as breeding stock ! - Its actually a moth ! LOL

[Happyman]

When they fold their wings - when they feel threatened - the lighter strip down the edge of the wings look like a snakes body - weird ! How the f*ck did they work that out !

[JoGeAr]

I saw a few of these over the years up in Nakhon Phanom Province, only one anywhere near as big as that though !! Absolutely beautiful !!

[Happyman]

I saw a few of these over the years age up in Nakhon Phanom Province, only one anywhere near as big as that though !! Absolutely beautiful !!

The Taiwanese variant will be pleased to hear that !
Will tell her tonight

[Happyman]

I think they are some kind of wild silk worm producing moth - will check !

The chrysalis(sp) was found when I was out with Steve on one of his photographic jungle rambles - was on a Jack fruit tree

[DrAndy]

I will immediately become a lepidopterist if the Korean variant is common

[DrAndy]

nice anyway

we had a caterpillar from this moth on one of our trees, a Kraton tree, so we left it to make a pupa and surrounded it with a net. Unfortunately it never came out, so that was disappointing

[Happyman]

Is this the one with the broken wing?

Ill help her get it fixed!!!

Thanks for the offer but we have managed for 14+ years ( nice to know that there are chums who will help a chap out though)Cheers

[Johnny Longprong]

This is really interesting CB. Obviously to exist this species has a low food value??

Thanks too, to you HB for the identification, saved me the job.

It really is incredible to see the markings on the wings ,evolved over who knows how long, to protect the resting moth from predators.

Just shows how superior the human is to have the power of life or death over everything.

[DrAndy]

the pink spot is real!

The Kraton tree has a round, green fruit, getting yellow, a bit like Mangosteen but more sour

[hillbilly]

Help me on this one.