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The Atlas moth (''Attacus atlas'') is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, and is common across the Malay archipelago.〔Holloway, J.D. (1987). The Moths of Borneo, part 3: Lasiocampidae, Eupteroptidae, Bombycidae, Brahmaeidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae. Southdene Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur〕 Atlas moths were often considered the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area,〔Watson, A. & Whalley, P.E.S. (1983). The Dictionary of Butterflies and Moths in colour. Peerage Books, London, England. ISBN 0-907408-62-1〕 but recent sources confer this title upon the Hercules Moth from New Guinea and northern Australia.〔Robert G. Foottit & Peter H. Adler. 2009. Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-405-15142-9〕〔Rainier Flindt. 2006. Amazing Numbers in Biology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. ISBN 3-540-30146-1〕 Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, reaching over . Females are appreciably larger and heavier than the males. Atlas moths are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns. In Hong Kong the Cantonese name translates as "snake's head moth", referring to the apical extension of the forewing, which bears a more than passing resemblance to a snake's head.〔Yiu, V. (2006). Insecta Hongkongica. Hong Kong Discovery. Kowloon, Hong Kong. 655pp. ISBN 988-97173-9-5〕 Japan only has the ''A. a. ryukyuensis'' subspecies which is native to the Yaeyama Islands, principally Yonaguni, and as such is called the . It is said to be the inspiration for the movie monster Mothra. The largest lepidopteran in terms of wingspan is thought to be the White Witch, ''Thysania agrippina''. A record specimen of ''Attacus atlas'' from Java measured 262 mm, while ''Thysania'' are claimed to be about 270–280 mm (11 in). Based on some spread specimens and angle of wing, actual measurements of around 289 mm have been estimated. In India, Atlas moths are cultivated for their silk in a non-commercial capacity; unlike that produced by the related Silkworm moth (''Bombyx mori''), Atlas moth silk is secreted as broken strands. This brown, wool-like silk is thought to have greater durability and is known as ''fagara''.〔Jolly, M.S., Sen, S.K., Sonwalkar, T.N. & Prasad, G.S. (1979). Non-mulberry silks. Food & Agriculture Organisation. United Nations, Serv. Bull. 29. Rome. xvii + 178pp〕 Atlas moth cocoons have been employed as purses in Taiwan. ==Similar taxa== The term "Atlas moth" is sometimes used mistakenly as a name for any species in the genus ''Attacus'', of which there are over 20 named species and subspecies. A few New World species can be mistaken for Atlas moths, specifically members of the genus ''Rothschildia''. Very similar in appearance to the Asian Atlas moth, ''Rothschildia aurota'' is one of the largest members of its genus and a Neotropical relative. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Attacus atlas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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