The Atlas Moth, known scientifically as Attacus atlas, belongs to the family of the giant silkworm moth, Saturniidae. Its common name is either derived from the Titan of Greek mythology, Atlas, or its map-like wing pattern. In Malay, this moth is probably known as “Kupu-kupu Kuda” (Stamp catalog, n.d.).
The Atlas Moth is the largest moth in Malaysia with respect to wing surface area and wingspan. The wingspan can spread over 9.8 inches or up to 35 cm from wing tip to wing tip, with females being slightly larger and heavier than males (Mary et al., 2016). The wings are brown in colour with light yellow, red, purple, black and pink accents. The wing tips of the forewing are hooked. The forewing and hindwing have translucent “window” patches, which are triangular and bordered in black. The apex of the forewing looks like a “snake’s head”, and functions as defence against predation.
The Atlas Moth is distributed in Asia ranging from India to the Philippines and south to Indonesia (The California Academy of Sciences, 2020). Its habitat ranges from lowland forests up to upper montane forest at about 2,000 m a.s.l.
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Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Salleh (Mr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Aishah Hani Azil (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Amal Ghazali Nasron (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
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Azidah Abdul Aziz (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Bakhtiar Effendi Yahya (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
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Chey Vun Khen (Dr.)
Sabah Forestry Department
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Fatimah Abang (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
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Heo Chong Chin (Dr.)
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
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Idris Bin Abd. Ghani (Prof.)
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Mohd Sofian Azirun (Prof. Dato' Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
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Nada Badruddin (Dr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
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University of Malaya (UM)
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Norela Sulaiman (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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University of Malaya (UM)
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Ong Su Ping (Ms.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Phon Chooi Khim (Dr.)
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Raja Muhammad Zuha (Dr.)
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University of Malaya (UM)
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Sze Huei Yek (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
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Tan Li Peng (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
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Veronica Khoo Swee Imm (Ms.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
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Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
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Wee Suk Ling (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Acknowledgements :- Mr. Abdul Razak Mohd Nor Rasid, Ms. Aida Salihah Binti Abu Bakar, Ms. Amirah Hasanah Binti Mazlan, Ms. Fatin Qurratul 'ain Binti Saberam, Mr. Mohamad Firdaus Bin Mohamad Ridzwan, Ms. Noor Zahidah Binti Ahmad Sobri, Ms. Nur Asikin Binti Maskuri, Mrs. Nuramirah Binti Mat Zain, Ms. Nurfadzilah Bt Azmi, Ms. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas, Ms. Nurul Aimi Amirah Binti Mohd Zaki, Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Yasser Mohamed Arifin
Photo credit :- GC Gan, Mohamad Omar B. Mohamad Khaidzir, Tan Kok Kiat & Yasser Arifin
Species Citation :- Attacus atlas. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/51246. [Retrieved 02 December 2023].
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