Madagascar comet or Madagascar Saturnia (Argema mittrei) - This representative of the peacock-eye family can be seen in nature only on the African island after which it is named. There is also a name - Moon moth.
Most long butterfly in the world they also call comet butterfly: due to the 14-16 centimeter forked “tail”.
Let's take a closer look at them...
Like its close relatives from the peacock-eye family, Saturnia Madagascar is distinguished by a small retracted head (with double-combed antennae in the male), bright coloring and a thick body covered with fluffy hairs.
Photo 3. 
On each wing, the size of a palm, there are large ocellated spots. Peacock eyes- one of the largest butterflies in the world. Wingspan 160-200 mm.
Photo 4. 
These insects do not feed: they live off the nutrients accumulated in the caterpillar stage. This unique butterfly lives only 2-3 days.
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The wings are bright yellow. On each wing there is one large brown “eye”, with black dot in the center. The tips of the wings have a brown-black spot. A narrow gray-black border runs along the lateral edge of the lower wing. A reddish-brown wavy pattern runs along the wings.
Photo 6. 
The lower wings with tails are up to 13 cm long in males. The male's antennae are large and feathery. The female's forewings are wider and more rounded. The tails on the hind wings are shorter, up to 8 cm long, and approximately 2 times wider than those of males. The female's abdomen is large and barrel-shaped. The apical yellow areas on the tails of the hind wings quickly break off and can only be seen in young butterflies.
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On Madagascar These magnificent butterflies are successfully bred on special farms.
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The Madagascar comet (lat. Agrema mittrei) is one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world, second in size only to the one that lives in South-East Asia. They both belong to the same family Saturnidae. It is also known as the moon moth.
Spreading
The insect is an endemic species and is found only in Madagascar. It inhabits rainwater rainforests, located east and south of the capital city of Antananarivo in the foothills of the Central Highlands up to the Ivakuani mountain range. The natural habitat outside the protected areas is constantly declining, and the local population is actively collecting its eggs, which are exported.
For this reason, you can see the beautiful creature without much hassle only in national parks Andasibe-Mantadia and Ranomafana. In the evening, magnificent moths flock to the light of the lamps and can be seen up close.
Butterflies of this species reproduce well in captivity, so their breeding becomes a profitable business. One adult specimen in EU countries costs 80-100 euros, and one egg 1.5-2 euros.
Madagascar comet leads night look life and never shows activity during daylight hours. Males and females differ in the structure of their wings. In the latter they are more elongated and rounded, and the tail and antennae are much shorter.
The caterpillars and adults of this species are actively eaten by chameleons, lemurs and insectivorous birds. IN wildlife out of 170 eggs laid, only a small part manages to go through all stages of development and give life to a new generation.
Reproduction
The female lays eggs on the lower part of the leaves of plants, which serve as a food source for future caterpillars. These are mainly plants from the families:
- Couponiaceae (Cunoniaceae)
- Myrtaceae
- Sumacaceae (Anacardiaceae)
- Altingiaceae
- Phyllanthaceae
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- Nuts (Juglandaceae).
Incubation depending on humidity and temperature environment lasts from 10 to 20 days. The larvae are born small, but very voracious. They develop quickly and feed intensely, stopping only to molt. At each stage of development, their color becomes darker and their chitinous cover becomes harder.
Over the course of two months, the Madagascar comet undergoes 4 molts and turns into a thick, bright green caterpillar. After this, she pupates and spends the next 5-6 months in a large white-gray cocoon, which is twisted so that water can constantly flow out of it through small holes. This helps the pupa survive in conditions of frequent rainfall.
After almost six months in the cocoon, a butterfly emerges from it. After drying her wings, she immediately sets off to search for partners for procreation. She has no other worries. During evolution, she lost her proboscis and generally does without food. Mating lasts up to one day.
A fertilized female no longer mates with other males and, having laid a clutch, dies. The life of an imago does not exceed 4-5 days.
The mountains of Madagascar are quite cool at night. To avoid freezing, the moon moth warms itself in flight. To do this, it vibrates intensely with its wings and whole body.
Description
The wingspan reaches 180 mm, and the tail length reaches 130 mm. The head is small and retracted. Females are larger than males. There are no mouthparts.
The wings are painted bright yellow. Each palm-sized wing is decorated with a large brown “eye” with a distinctive black dot located in the middle.
The thick body is abundantly covered with small hairs. Females have a large and barrel-shaped abdomen. The tips of the wings are covered with a black-brown spot. A gray-black edging is noticeable on the lateral edge of the lower wing.
Today we will tell you about it. But this is not the moth that eats your coats and fur coats in the closet in the moonlight. This moth is the largest butterfly in the world (after all, a moth is also a butterfly). In addition to the fact that it is the largest representative of lepidoptera, it can safely be considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular butterflies.
Therefore, when you are asked: what is the largest butterfly in the world or what is the most beautiful butterfly in the world, you can safely say - the Lunar moth, aka Saturnia Madagascar, aka the Madagascar comet.
This butterfly represents the Peacock-eye family (if that tells you anything). It can be seen (as you already understood from the name) only on the island of Madagascar. This island is generally famous for its endemic species, i.e. animals and plants that inhabit only one area. In particular, the island of Madagascar. Now you also know what endemics are.
It also received one of its names, the Madagascar comet, because it is also the longest butterfly. You can see her in the photo interesting structure wings, which is not found in butterflies in our latitudes.
The wingspan is up to 20 centimeters. If there is a ruler nearby, then imagine the size of this butterfly.
There is a pattern of eyes on the wings to scare off more large predators.
But the most interesting thing about this butterfly is not its appearance. Otherwise we wouldn’t have written about her, because... We adhere to the principle of writing only about the most interesting things, animals and people.
The most interesting thing is that this butterfly, beautiful in all respects, has neither a digestive tract nor any device for eating. And they live off the nutrients that the caterpillar was able to accumulate. And they don’t live long at all – on average two days.
Caterpillars feed on plant leaves. Mainly Evgenia.
Like any thing (I didn’t mean that a butterfly is a thing) that is popular (and this butterfly is undoubtedly so popular) with a person should bring money. That is why in Madagascar they are bred on specialized farms. They are then framed and sold all over the world. Perhaps you have seen such frames with butterflies in markets or shopping centers. We have a whole collection of such butterflies on our wall.
Perhaps not entirely on topic, but a butterfly that lives brightly and pleases the eye with its presence on this planet for only a couple of days can lead to parallels with people. Sometimes a person needs very few years to live a bright and memorable life, but he and his achievements will be remembered for centuries. Think about these when you drive meters to a dull office in the morning.
The Madagascar comet
Madagascar Comet or Madagascar Saturnia (Argema mittrei) - This representative of the peacock-eye family can be seen in nature only on the African island after which it is named. There is also a name - Moon moth.
The longest butterfly in the world is also called comet butterfly: due to the 14-16 centimeter forked “tail”.
Let's take a closer look at them...
Like its close relatives from the peacock-eye family, Saturnia Madagascar is distinguished by a small retracted head (with double-combed antennae in the male), bright coloring and a thick body covered with fluffy hairs.
On each wing, the size of a palm, there are large ocellated spots. Peacock eyes- one of the largest butterflies in the world. Wingspan 160-200 mm.
These butterflies do not feed: they live off the nutrients accumulated in the caterpillar stage. This unique butterfly lives only 2-3 days.
The wings are bright yellow. On each wing there is one large brown “eye” with a black dot in the center. The tips of the wings have a brown-black spot. A narrow gray-black border runs along the lateral edge of the lower wing. A reddish-brown wavy pattern runs along the wings.
The lower wings with tails are up to 13 cm long in males. The male's antennae are large and feathery. The female's forewings are wider and more rounded. The tails on the hind wings are shorter, up to 8 cm long, and approximately 2 times wider than those of males. The female's abdomen is large and barrel-shaped. The apical yellow areas on the tails of the hind wings quickly break off and can only be seen in young butterflies.
On Madagascar These magnificent butterflies are successfully bred on special farms.
Madagascar comet or Madagascar Saturnia (Argema mittrei) - This representative of the peacock-eye family can be seen in nature only on the African island after which it is named. There is also a name - Moon moth.
The longest butterfly in the world is also called comet butterfly: due to the 14-16 centimeter forked “tail”.
Let's take a closer look at them...
Like its close relatives from the peacock-eye family, Saturnia Madagascar is distinguished by a small retracted head (with double-combed antennae in the male), bright coloring and a thick body covered with fluffy hairs.
Photo 3. 
On each wing, the size of a palm, there are large ocellated spots. Peacock eyes- one of the largest butterflies in the world. Wingspan 160-200 mm.
Photo 4. 
These insects do not feed: they live off the nutrients accumulated in the caterpillar stage. This unique butterfly lives only 2-3 days.
Photo 5. 
The wings are bright yellow. On each wing there is one large brown “eye” with a black dot in the center. The tips of the wings have a brown-black spot. A narrow gray-black border runs along the lateral edge of the lower wing. A reddish-brown wavy pattern runs along the wings.
Photo 6. 
The lower wings with tails are up to 13 cm long in males. The male's antennae are large and feathery. The female's forewings are wider and more rounded. The tails on the hind wings are shorter, up to 8 cm long, and approximately 2 times wider than those of males. The female's abdomen is large and barrel-shaped. The apical yellow areas on the tails of the hind wings quickly break off and can only be seen in young butterflies.
Photo 7. 
On Madagascar These magnificent butterflies are successfully bred on special farms.
Photo 8. 
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