Indian luna moth

The Indian luna moth is a fairly widespread moth found across Asia. It is a type of silk moth and makes a silken cocoon to protect itself during metamorphosis. This particular specimen was collected by Miss Marker in Sri Lanka.

This object was selected by a member of the LGBTQ+ community as part of the Out and About: Queering the Museum at RAMM project. Listen to the attached audio (transcript available) to find out why.

Visual description: An Indian luna moth specimen laid flat with its wings outstretched. The forewings are triangular and pale green with small, round eye spots near the centre. The hindwings are also pale green, but more rounded, with long, tapering tails that extend from each wingtip. The moth’s body is thick and covered in fine, white hairs.