Luna moth: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the luna moth lives – recorded in 3 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Actias luna
Group	Butterflies & moths
Found in	3 countries
Continents	North America
Lifespan	1 weeks (adult, approximation)
Diet (main food)	Carya, walnut tree
Class	Insect
Order	Lepidoptera
Family	Saturniidae

Where does the luna moth live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the luna moth in 3 countries and territories across North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How long does a luna moth live?

Wikidata records a life expectancy of 1 weeks (adult, approximation) for the luna moth.

What does a luna moth eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the luna moth as: Carya, walnut tree.

What kind of animal is the luna moth?

The luna moth (Actias luna) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Saturniidae, genus Actias. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the luna moth

The luna moth (Actias luna), also called the American moon moth, is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly named the giant silk moths.

The moth has lime-green wings and a white body. Its caterpillars are also green. Its typical wingspan is roughly 114 mm (4.5 in), but wingspans can exceed 178 mm (7.0 in), ranking the species as one of the larger moths found in North America.

Across Canada, it has one generation per year, with the winged adults appearing in late May or early June, whereas farther south it will have two or even three generations per year, the first appearance as early as March in southern parts of the United States.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Luna moth (revision 1378506796), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q135289 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).