Did You Know?
- The Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth can be found in Queensland, New South Wales, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and the Solomons
- The larvae of this particular moth has been made famous as a result of their skull – yes, a boneless caterpillar can actually have a skull (more on that soon)
- Amongst their thick rainforest habitat the adult Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth will typically hide their colourful hind wings underneath their dull, brown forewings – this essentially gives them the appearance of a dead leaf – the perfect camouflage!
A Caterpillar with a Skull?!?
The most fascinating feature of the Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth is definitely the appearance of their head while in the larvae form. Yes, that is indeed a skull painted on their head. What is the purpose of this amazing artwork? Considering the skull-like head actually startled me, just imagine what it would do to a hungry predator. Actually, take a second and imagine the look on the face of a bird swooping in for a tasty treat only to see a giant skull looking up at it. I am willing to bet it startles the potential predator long enough for them to make a quick escape. While I could continue to talk about the unique defence mechanism, I think it is best if we just look at a few pictures instead.
Frightening but Endangered
Unfortunately, much like many other cool animals this particular moth is classified as Nationally Endangered throughout Australia. The main culprit for their low population numbers mainly has to do with habitat destruction…and the fact that this insect is incredibly picky when it comes to choosing a mating habitat. There are currently very few known locations that are suitable for the mating habits of the Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth. So what makes this habitat so special? Well, these moths will only mate in areas that have the darkness only provided by the Carronia multisepalea, a vine found in sub-tropical rainforests. If this vine is not present then our beloved, albeit creepy-looking, moth will not be able to mate. I guess there is such a thing as being too picky but lets just hope that it doesn’t spell doom for the Imperial Fruit Sucking Moth.
