Milena Vanoli - Alife cycle of Actias luna

Nombre y apellidos: Milena Vanoli

País: Italia

Web: milenavanoli.it

Redes sociales: https://www.instagram.com/milenavanoli/

Título de la obra: Alife cycle of Actias luna

Especie o elemento: Actias luna, L.-Saturniidae

Categoría: Ilustración científica

Técnicas utilizadas: Graphite, watercolor, pastel

Inteligencia artificial: No. No

Tamaño: Cm48x36

Año de creación: 2023

Descripción: Actias luna, L.-Saturniidae

The magnificent Luna moth, known scientifically as Actias luna, inhabits the forests of North America, including the eastern regions, Canada. Its wings, which can be explained by a span of 8-13 cm, have spots that evoke the phases of the moon and a long tail-like extension on its hind wings.
In a short adult life of only 10 days, this creature forgoes feeding, as it lacks a proboscis apparatus, devoting itself entirely to the magic of reproduction.
Females emit pheromones from scent glands on the sides of their abdomen, enchanting males and calling them back from distances of up to 10 km. After mating, they lay between 200 and 400 eggs on the leaves of various trees such as walnut, eucalyptus, persimmon, and white birch, feeding during the larval stage on the leaves of various trees and surviving as adults on the energy reserves accumulated during the caterpillar period and then glowing as adults on the reserves accumulated during the transformation time.
Majestic and delicate, moon moths are prey for bats, dusky birds such as sparrows and robins, and even small mammals such as squirrels and mice, which feed on them in both their larval and adult states.