About Coscinocera hercules Miskin, 1879
The adult Coscinocera hercules has a wingspan of around 27 cm (11 in), which makes it the largest moth species found in Australia. Its wings have the largest documented surface area of any living insect, measuring 300 cm² (47 in²). Adult moths are primarily golden-brown and white, with transparent spots on each of the four wing sections. The overall coloring and patterns of the moth are mostly the same between males and females. The main difference is that adult males have longer, slimmer wing tails than females, which makes it fairly easy to tell the two sexes apart this way.
The larvae of Coscinocera hercules grow up to 12 cm (about 4.7 in) long, and reach around 54 grams in weight by their final instar stage. Larvae are pale blue or green, with red dots running along their sides and yellow spines.
