Endoxyla cinereus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Cossidae |
Genus: | Endoxyla |
Species: | E. cinereus
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Binomial name | |
Endoxyla cinereus (Tepper, 1890)
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Synonyms | |
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Endoxyla cinereus, the giant wood moth, is a moth in the family Cossidae.[1] It is found in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales) and New Zealand.[2] The species was first described in 1890. A rare contemporary sighting of the moth at a school in Australia garnered notice as an editor's pick among the daily headlines of the New York Times on May 8, 2021.[3]
It is the heaviest moth in the world; weighing up to 30 g.[4] Its wingspan is approximately 23 cm, or just over nine inches.
The larvae bore into the trunks of trees of the Eucalyptus species. Pupation takes place in the larval tunnel.[5]