Hercules moth

Coscinocera hercules is an Australian saturniid silk moth. William Henry Miskin described it in 1876 as Attacus hercules from a male and female collected at Cape York. [3]

Adults have clear triangular windows in the wings and a large, densely hairy body. Males have broad comb-like antennae and elongated hindwing tails; females have shorter, broader extensions. Mature larvae are blue-green with yellow tubercles. [1][2]

The Hercules moth inhabits rainforest and monsoon forest in northern Queensland. Edwards described Australian populations between Cape York and Paluma; Monteith’s modern account places the moth from Cape York south to the Townsville region. [2][3]

The grey silk cocoon is enclosed in a host leaf and suspended from a twig by a silk stalk. Adults lack a proboscis and cannot feed or drink. [2]

Native bleeding-heart, Homalanthus populifolius, is a larval host. Frederick Parkhurst Dodd found caterpillars feeding on this tree at Kuranda and grew it for rearing. Clyne and Frazier later reared larvae in Sydney using a potted tree and cut branches. [2][3]

In northern Queensland, adults are most often encountered during the wet season, although some appear in the dry season. They are attracted to lights. [2]

The original male and female syntypes are held by the Queensland Museum. They anchor the name Coscinocera hercules to the Cape York specimens examined by Miskin. [3]