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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Saturniidae 890072 – 7758   Actias luna (Linnaeus, 1758)              Luna Moth

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Larva and Host Plants: Host familiy: Anacardiaceae Betulaceae Cannabaceae Ebenaceae Fagaceae Hamamelidaceae Juglandaceae Fabaceae Lythraceae Magnoliaceae Malvaceae[Tiliaceae] Myricaceae Nyssaceae[Cornaceae] Platanaceae Rosaceae Salicacea..  Host genera: Acer Aesculus Alnus Amelanchier Betula Carpinus Carya Castanea Corylus Diospyros Fagus Humulus Juglans Liquidambar Liriodendron Lythrum Morella[=Myrica] Nyssa Ostrya Platanus Populus Prunus Quercus Rh...  (Shropshire & Douglas 2025) Similar Species: Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.) Synonymy: luna (Linnaeus, 1758) (Phalaena) - MONA 1983: 7758 luna (Linnaeus, 1758) (Phalaena)  bolli (Wagner, 1876) (Saturnia)  dictynna (Walker, 1855) (Tropaea)  lacrimans (Niepelt, 1932) (Tropaea)  maasseni Kirby, 1892 (Actias)  mariae (Benjamin, 1922) (Tropaea)  rossii Ross, 1872 (Actias)  rubromarginata (Davis, 1912) (Tropaea)  rubrosuffusa (Cockerell, 1914) (Tropaea)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced. Factsheet at Florida Featured Creatures. Ferguson, D. C., 1972. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 20.2b: p. 207; pl. 15.6-7, 16.1-5. order or free PDF Hall et al., 2021. The Moths of North Carolina - website (identification, habitats and life history) Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online) Species Page at Block Island Moths Species Page at BugGuide.Net Species Page at Mass Moths Species Page at iNaturalist Species page at Moths of North Dakota.

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