Unlike our other weird insects who were included because they looked weird, the Sunset Moth is included because its colors are absolutely stunning…especially for a moth.

The sunset moth’s scientific name is Chrysiridia rhipheus and belongs to the Uraniidae family. Its wingspan is between 2.75” – 3.5” and sometimes even 4”; the size of the moth depends on what altitude the moth lives in.

Chrysiridia rhipheus is often incorrectly indentified as a butterfly because of its colors but also because it is a daytime flier. How to tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly?

The colors of the sunset moth are its most notable feature. Surprisingly, unlike other moths, the colors of the sunset moth are not pigments but rather the result of optical interference. Curved, ribbon-like scales and an air-cuticle mulitlayer cause the bright colors; for more information read this abstract on the wings of a sunset moth. To the right is an up close picture of the moth’s wing scales. {photo credit: Charles B. Krebs}

As you would imagine, this colorful moth is sought out by insect collectors around the world, but you must travel to Madagascar (an island off the eastern side of Africa) to find this beauty.

Other weird insect posts:

1. Artichoke Plume Moth
2. Crab Spider
3. Cow Ant

{top left photo credit: Ivan Tortuga}

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