Atlas moth
Attacus atlas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status not recordedbutterflies and moths
The atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is an insect in the butterflies and moths group, belonging to the family Saturniidae. It is classified in the order Lepidoptera, superfamily Bombycoidea, subfamily Saturniinae and genus Attacus.
Quick facts about the atlas moth
Its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758), and it sits in the class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda and kingdom Animalia.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 25 cm – 30 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 0.0192 years – 0.0383 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- leavessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- forest, shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the atlas moth?
Photos of the atlas moth
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the atlas moth live?
Not recorded
Where has it been introduced?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the atlas moth as introduced in 1 country.
Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).
What is the atlas moth?
Attacus atlas, the Atlas moth, is a large saturniid moth endemic to the forests of Asia. The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The Atlas moth is one of the largest lepidopterans, with a wingspan often measuring from 250mm to 300mm. and a wing surface area of about 160 cm2 (25 in2). It is only surpassed in wingspan by the white witch (Thysania agrippina) and Attacus caesar, and in wing surface area by the Hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules). As in most silk moths, females are noticeably larger and heavier than males, while males have broader antennae.
From the Wikipedia article “Attacus atlas” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Attacus_atlas&oldid=1368956310), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the atlas moth endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the atlas moth classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classInsecta
- orderLepidoptera
- familySaturniidae
- genusAttacus
- SpeciesAttacus atlas (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Attacus atlantis, Attacus baliensis, Attacus bifenestratus, Attacus burmaensis, Attacus burmana, Attacus chinensis, Attacus conjunctus, Attacus ethra, Attacus formosanus, Attacus gladiator, Attacus incerta, Attacus javanensis, Attacus major, Attacus mannus, Attacus minor, Attacus opaca, Attacus pallida, Attacus roseus, Attacus rotundus, Attacus ryukyuensis, Attacus silhetica, Attacus simplex, Attacus strandi, Attacus sumatranus, Attacus talas, Attacus talas, Attacus tonkinensis, Attacus tonkinensis, Attacus trifenestratus, Attacus trumphator, Attacus varia, Attacus vitrea, Phalaena atlas
Other names and names in other languages (20)
- caparina atlesAsturian
- আটলাস মথBangla
- martináč atlasCzech
- Atlas SpinderDanish
- AtlasspinnerGerman
- Mariposa AtlasSpanish
- AtlasFrench
- Ngengat GajahIndonesian
- Kupu-Kupu GajahIndonesian
- ヨナグニサンJapanese
- AtlasvlinderDutch
- pawica atlasPolish
- Mariposa-atlasPortuguese
- Павлиноглазка атласRussian
- ᱵᱷᱟᱹᱨᱩᱣᱟᱹSantali
- มอธหนอนกระท้อนยักษ์Thai
- ผีเสื้อหนอนใบกระท้อนThai
- АтласUkrainian
- 烏桕天蠶蛾Chinese
- 皇蛾Chinese
Relatives of the atlas moth
Other species in the same genus Attacus.
Caesar cobra moth
Attacus caesar
Timor Atlas moth
Attacus dohertyi
Sri Lankan Atlas moth
Attacus taprobanis
Australian Atlas moth
Attacus wardi
Lorquin's cobra moth
Attacus lorquinii
CompareAtlas moth vs Caesar cobra mothAtlas moth vs Timor Atlas mothAtlas moth vs Sri Lankan Atlas mothAtlas moth vs Australian Atlas moth
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the atlas moth?
The atlas moth is an insect in the butterflies and moths group, classified in the order Lepidoptera.
What is the scientific name of the atlas moth?
The scientific name of the atlas moth is Attacus atlas.
Who named the atlas moth and when?
The atlas moth's scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
What family does the atlas moth belong to?
The atlas moth belongs to the family Saturniidae, within the subfamily Saturniinae.
What superfamily is the atlas moth in?
The atlas moth is in the superfamily Bombycoidea.
What genus is the atlas moth in?
The atlas moth is in the genus Attacus.
Is the atlas moth an invasive species?
The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the atlas moth as introduced in 1 country: Belgium, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS) · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-11-13
Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Atlas moth (Attacus atlas). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlas-moth
“Atlas moth (Attacus atlas).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlas-moth.
@misc{atlas_moth_2026,
title = {Atlas moth (Attacus atlas)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlas-moth},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}