{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "luna-moth",
  "name": "Luna Moth",
  "scientificName": "Actias luna",
  "category": "Insect",
  "summary": "The luna moth is a large, pale-green silk moth of eastern North America, with long, sweeping tails on its hindwings and a wingspan up to about 11 cm (4.5 in). Adults do not feed and live only about a week, focusing entirely on mating, while the caterpillars feed heavily on tree leaves. The trailing tails are thought to confuse the echolocation of hunting bats.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Arthropoda",
    "class": "Insecta",
    "order": "Lepidoptera",
    "family": "Saturniidae",
    "genus": "Actias"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.002,
    "lengthM": 0.045,
    "topSpeedKmh": 18,
    "lifespanYears": 1
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Actias luna"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Caterpillars eat leaves; adults do not feed"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Deciduous forests of eastern North America"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Adults about 1 week; full cycle a few months"
    },
    {
      "label": "Wingspan",
      "value": "Up to about 11 cm (4.5 in)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Tails",
      "value": "Long hindwing tails that confuse bats"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Deciduous forests of eastern North America; a large, pale-green silk moth.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Actias luna.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Actias%20luna&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Actias luna. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Actias_luna/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Luna Moth.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_moth"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/luna-moth/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/luna-moth/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}