For those that haven’t seen this gorgeous creature before, let me introduce you to the Australian Giant Wood moth. (Endoxyla cinereus) This was a special moment for me since these beauties literally only live a few days. They don’t even have mouthparts to feed, having done all of their eating as grubs, and now are only focused on mating and laying eggs. You may have heard of the Witchetty (witjuti) grub that is a part of the diet of Australia’s indigenous people, and this moth’s larvae is exactly that. (See following slides to learn more.) -Credit: Australian Museum and abc.net.au.
