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Loepa katinka (Golden Emperor moth)
Place : Shantinagar, Singtam, East Sikkim,
Date:July 16, 2014Pic: Shital Pradhan |
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Saturniidae
Genus:
Loepa
Species:
L.katinka
Binomial name: Loepa katinka (Westwood, 1848)
Other Names: Golden Emperor moth
Special feature: The Golden Emperor moth (Loepa
katinka) is a species of moth found in Southeast Asia and South Asia. This is one of the bigger moth and is mostly found during monsoon.
The male moth is recognized by
bushy, feathered antennae and angular forewings. Adult moths have primitive
mouthparts and do not feed. The caterpillars are a striking dark brown color
with yellow triangles along each
side and metallic blue protrusions along the dorsal surface. They feed on vines
until they are ready to spin their wild silk cocoons. Cultivating silk moths
for fabric production has a long history starting in 2700 B.C. with the
Chinese. They kept their secret until 300 AD, when their techniques spread to
Korea and Japan (http://www.insects.org).
They have a short adult life, less than a week and it feeds on food that had been stored during there caterpillar days.
