8 Mesmerizing Facts About Marvellous Madagascar Bullseye Moth (Antherina suraka-VIDEO)

Most people usually think of moths as drab brown or gray winged creatures that batter themselves against the front porch light. But moths also come in an incredible array of colors, with patterns and designs on their wings that rival the most beautiful butterflies.

Eggs hatch in 10 to 15 days depening on the temperature (longer if cold, faster if warm). Room temperature is generally fine for all life stages, although they do handle heat very well, coming from Madagascar. Larvae can be reared in plastic containers up until the third instar (if not too humid) and should then be moved to a cage or appropriate sleeve to rear them in; ventilation is an important factor in preventing them from getting infected. Tiny larvae are black with yellow or orange spines. As they grow older, the final instars become more colourful and are very variable. The fourth and fifth instar come in a wide range of colour; the most common colour seems to be green (with red tubercules). The "base" colour of the body seems to vary between light green and to yellow with all shades in between, while the spines seem to range in colour from red, pink to yellow and orange. On top of their light or green "body" colour, some larvae retain black pigment in the final instars mixed with their "base" colour, creating a pattern of black spots/patches on top of the green or yellow larva. In some cases, nearly the entire larva can be black except for the spines.