What Is the Largest Moth in the World? Atlas, Hercules and More

The main contenders for largest moth

Three or four species compete for the title, and each wins by a different measure. The table gives commonly cited figures for large specimens.

Records for insects are less tidy than those for mammals or birds, because many famous measurements come from single museum specimens, old reports or collectors’ claims. Unverified reports of moths with wingspans of 35 cm (14 in) or more exist, but they are not accepted as reliable records.

White witch: the widest wingspan

The white witch moth (Thysania agrippina) lives in tropical forests from Mexico to Uruguay and occasionally strays as far north as Texas. It has long, narrow, pale wings marked with fine zigzag lines in gray and brown, which help it blend into tree bark.

Most white witches are smaller than the record holders. The largest verified specimen spanned about 30.8 cm (12.1 in), the widest wingspan known for any living insect. Unlike the Atlas and Hercules moths, the white witch is not a silk moth: it belongs to the family Erebidae, which also includes the black witch moth. Its caterpillar was not documented scientifically until 2025, when one was found in Panama and raised to adulthood.

Hercules moth: the biggest wing area

The Hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules) is a giant silk moth from New Guinea and the rainforests of northern Queensland, Australia. It is the largest moth in Australia. Its wingspan can reach about 27–28 cm (11 in), and males have long tails on their hindwings.

Because its wings are broad as well as long, the Hercules moth has the largest documented wing surface area of any living insect, about 300 cm² (47 sq in). Like the Atlas moth, adults have no working mouthparts and live only a short time, relying on fat stored by their large blue-green caterpillars.

Atlas moth: the most famous giant

The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) of South and Southeast Asia is the giant most people have seen, thanks to butterfly houses and zoos. Its wingspan is usually about 24–28 cm (9.5–11 in), and females are larger than males. Claims of 30 cm (12 in) Atlas moths exist, but they are not well verified.

The Atlas moth has broad wings with a large total area, and it is often called the largest moth in the world. Estimates of its wing area differ widely between sources, partly because measurements are made on different specimens and in different ways. A close relative, Caesar’s atlas moth (Attacus caesar) of the Philippines, may be slightly larger. The Atlas moth is also famous for its forewing tips that look like snake heads, explained in why Atlas moth wings look like snake heads.

Giant wood moth: the heaviest

The giant wood moth (Endoxyla cinereus) of eastern and southern Australia is a different kind of giant. Its wingspan of about 23 cm (9 in) is smaller than that of the others, but large females weigh up to about 30 g (1 oz), making it the heaviest known moth. Females carry large numbers of eggs, which add to their weight.

Its caterpillars spend years tunneling inside eucalyptus trees before they emerge as adults. Like the giant silk moths, the adults do not feed.

How are moths measured?

Scientists and collectors usually measure wingspan across the outstretched forewings of a specimen, from one wingtip to the other. Specimens must be “set” with the wings in a standard position, and small differences in how the wings are spread can change the result by a centimeter or more. Some measurements use forewing length instead and double it.

Wing area is harder to measure. It is calculated from photographs or tracings of the wings and depends on whether hindwing tails are included. Weight is rarely recorded, because most specimens are dried and lose much of their mass. These differences explain why the “largest moth” title changes depending on the source.

The largest moths in Europe and North America

Readers in Europe and North America can see impressive moths closer to home, although none rivals the tropical giants.

• Giant peacock moth (Saturnia pyri): the largest moth in Europe, with a wingspan of up to about 15 cm (6 in). It lives mainly in southern Europe and has large eyespots on all four wings.
• Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia): the largest native moth in North America, with a wingspan of up to about 15 cm (6 in).
• Black witch (Ascalapha odorata): a tropical relative of the white witch that regularly strays into the US, with a wingspan that can reach a similar size.
• Luna moth (Actias luna): smaller, but famous for its pale green wings and long tails. See the luna moth profile.

For giants from every insect group, see the largest insects in the world, and for how moths differ from their butterfly cousins, read butterfly vs moth.

Are the largest moths in danger?

None of these giants has been fully assessed on the IUCN Red List. Most are still widespread, but they depend on forests that are being cleared and broken up, and artificial lights at night can draw large moths away from their habitat. Because adults cannot feed and live only days to weeks, every lost night of breeding matters for these short-lived giants.