The Largest Moth In North America: Strikingly Beautiful Cecropia Moth

The cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia Linnaeus) is among the most spectacular of the North American Lepidoptera. It is a member of the Saturniidae, a family of moths prized by collectors and nature lovers alike for their large size and extremely showy appearance.

In 1956, researchers reported a major breakthrough in their understanding of insect metamorphosis: they had isolated a hormone that, when it's being produced in large enough quantities, permits a caterpillar to keep growing and repeatedly molting into larger caterpillars ― but when the insect's body stops producing the hormone, it molts into a winged, sexually mature adult. The hormone is now called "juvenile hormone" or JH. The initial 1956 discovery was made using larvae of a cecropia moth.