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What the sources say

Luna MothActias luna

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Luna Moth profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 49 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Hall 2007

Hall (2007). Luna Moth, Actias (=Tropaea) luna (Linneaus) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Saturniidae: Saturniinae). EDIS, University of Florida.

The page saysadults do not eat
The source saysAdults have vestigial mouthparts and do not feed.Note: tagline
The page saysForested areas of eastern North America, from southern Canada to Florida
The source saysIn the U.S., it is found in every eastern state from Maine south to FloridaNote: stats.habitat; eastern and Florida
The page saysadults do not feed
The source saysAdults have vestigial mouthparts and do not feed.Note: stats.diet
The page sayswith a long tail trailing from each hindwing
The source saysmoths with a long tail on each hind wing
The page saysThe adult wingspan is 75 to 105 mm, about 3 to 4 inches.
The source saysThe adult wingspan is 75 to 105 mmNote: 75-105 mm is 2.95 to 4.13 in
The page saysit usually emerges in the morning, which allows time for its wings to expand and dry before the evening flight period
The source saysMorning emergence allows time for expansion and drying of the wings prior to the evening flight period.
The page saysAdults have vestigial (leftover) mouthparts and do not feed, so they are short-lived.
The source saysAdults have vestigial mouthparts and do not feed. Therefore, they are short-lived.
The page saysA new adult cuts its way out of the cocoon with serrated, chitinous spurs on its thorax
The source saysIt then cuts its way from the cocoon by the use of serrated, chitinous spurs on its thorax
The page saysit usually emerges in the morning
The source saysAdult eclosion (emergence from pupa) typically occurs in the morning with males usually beginning emergence several days before females. Morning emergence allows time for expansion and drying of the wings prior to the evening flight period.
The page saysA female releases a sex-attractant pheromone, a scent signal, and may attract males from a distance.
The source saysFemales release a sex-attractant pheromone and may attract males from a distance.
The page saysMating usually takes place during the first couple of hours after midnight.
The source saysMating usually takes place during the first couple of hours after midnight.
The page saysA full-grown caterpillar is bright green and 55 to 70 mm long.
The source saysThe bright green full-grown caterpillars are 55 to 70 mm in length
The page saysIts green coloration hides it
The source saysLuna caterpillars gain protection from predators by their cryptic green coloration.
The page sayswhen threatened it often rears up the front of its body in a "sphinx" pose
The source saysWhen threatened they often rear the front part of the body in a
The page saysIf attacked, it also makes a clicking noise with its mandibles, sometimes as a prelude to, or alongside, spitting up distasteful fluid.
The source saysIf attacked, luna caterpillars as well as those of many other bombycoid moths make a clicking noise with the mandibles – sometimes as a prelude to or accompanied by defensive regurgitation of distasteful fluids.
The page saysThe northernmost populations most often eat white birch.
The source saysNorthernmost populations most often utilize white birch, Betula papyrifera Marsh, as a host.
The page saysFarther south, caterpillars use a variety of host plants, particularly walnuts and hickories, sumacs, sweetgum and persimmon.
The source saysMore southerly populations use a variety of host plants particularly members of the walnut family Juglandaceae (walnuts [ Juglans ] and hickories, [ Carya] ); sumacs ( Rhus ); sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua L.; and persimmon, Diospyros virginiana L.
The page saysDevelopment from hatching to pupation takes a month or longer, depending on temperature.
The source saysDevelopment from hatching to pupation takes a month or longer depending on temperature.
The page saysThe luna moth is usually found in forested areas. In southern Canada it occurs from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan.
The source saysUsually found in forested areas. In southern Canada it occurs from Nova Scotia to Saskatchewan.
The page saysIn the United States it is found in every eastern state from Maine south to Florida, and west to eastern Texas and eastern North Dakota.
The source saysIn the U.S., it is found in every eastern state from Maine south to Florida and west to eastern Texas and eastern North Dakota.
The page saysMoths from southern populations tend to be smaller.
The source saysMoths from southern populations tend to be smaller.
The page saysAdults are strongly drawn to light, especially ultraviolet wavelengths.
The source saysThe adults are strongly attracted to light – particularly UV wavelengths.
The page saysA University of Florida fact sheet reports some concern that light pollution, particularly mercury vapor street lights, may deter luna moths and other silk moths from mating in cities.
The source saysThere has been some concern that light pollution from man-made sources (particularly mercury vapor street lights) may deter lunas and other silk moths from mating and have a negative impact on their populations in urban areas
The page saysNorthern populations from Michigan up have one generation, the Ohio Valley has two, and the south has three.
The source saysThe luna moth is univoltine (one generation) from Michigan northward, bivoltine throughout the Ohio Valley, and trivoltine southward
The page saysIn Louisiana and Florida, adults can be found in every month of the year.
The source saysIn Louisiana and Florida, adults may be found during every month of the year
The page saysThe cocoon is spun among the leaves but is not anchored to a twig.
The source saysThe cocoon is spun among the leaves of the deciduous host plants but is not anchored to a twig
The page saysIt falls to the ground in autumn as the leaves fall
The source saysthey fall to the ground in autumn (Holland 1968) as the leaves fall
The page sayscocoons are not commonly seen.
The source saysas the leaves fall and are not commonly seen

Source
02

Barber et al. 2015

Barber et al. (2015). Moth tails divert bat attack: Evolution of acoustic deflection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The page saysA big green silk moth whose spinning hindwing tails pull bat attacks off its body, and whose adults do not eat.
The source saysluna moths (Actias luna) generate an acoustic diversion with spinning hindwing tails to deflect echolocating bat attacks away from their body and toward these nonessential appendagesNote: tagline; adults half claimed below
The page saysSpinning hindwing tails that gave tailed moths a survival advantage of about 47% over tailless ones against big brown bats
The source saysWe pit luna moths against big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and demonstrate a survival advantage of ∼ 47% for moths with tails versus those that had their tails removed.Note: stats.superpower
The page saysThose tails are decoys.
The source saysMoth tails lured bat attacks to these wing regionsNote: decoy = lure, the abstract's verb
The page saysResearchers used high-speed infrared video to watch luna moths spin their tails to deflect attacks by echolocating bats
The source saysUsing high-speed infrared videography, we show that luna moths (Actias luna) generate an acoustic diversion with spinning hindwing tails to deflect echolocating bat attacks
The page saysaway from the body and toward the tails.
The source saysto deflect echolocating bat attacks away from their body and toward these nonessential appendages
The page saysFour times over
The source sayslong spatulate tails have independently evolved four times in saturniid mothsNote: blockquote lead
The page saysTails lured bat attacks to themselves in 55% of encounters with intact moths
The source saysMoth tails lured bat attacks to these wing regions during 55% of interactions between bats and intact luna moths.
The page saysmoths with tails had a survival advantage of about 47% over moths whose tails were removed
The source saysdemonstrate a survival advantage of ∼ 47% for moths with tails versus those that had their tails removed
The page saysLong spatulate (spatula-shaped) tails have evolved independently four times in saturniid moths
The source sayslong spatulate tails have independently evolved four times in saturniid moths
The page saysIts hindwing tails lured bat attacks to themselves in 55% of encounters
The source saysMoth tails lured bat attacks to these wing regions during 55% of interactions between bats and intact luna mothsNote: vibe.reason
The page saystags: bizarre-anatomy
The source saysluna moths (Actias luna) generate an acoustic diversion with spinning hindwing tails to deflect echolocating bat attacks away from their body and toward these nonessential appendagesNote: task #1110: kept; no defence tag covers a decoy structure (mimicry is impersonation, cryptic is stillness), and a spinning acoustic decoy is an unconventional body structure

Source
03

Lee & Moss 2016

Lee & Moss (2016). Can the elongated hindwing tails of fluttering moths serve as false sonar targets to divert bat attacks? The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

The page saysA second study found that the tail echoes are weak compared with those of the wings and body.
The source saysthe results show that the tail echoes are weak and do not dominate the sonar returns, compared to the large, planar wings and the moth body
The page saysTheir twisted shape, though, creates echoes that persist from every angle, which may make a bat misjudge where the moth is.
The source saysthe distinctive twisted morphology of the tails create persistent echoes across all angles of orientation, which may induce erroneous sonar target localization and disrupt accurate tracking by echolocating bats

Source
04

Brown, Boettner & Yack 2007

Brown, Boettner & Yack (2007). Clicking caterpillars: acoustic aposematism in Antheraea polyphemus and other Bombycoidea. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysA study of clicking caterpillars found that luna caterpillars make airborne sounds upon attack, and that the sounds precede regurgitation.
The source saysother Bombycoidea species, including Actias luna (Saturniidae) and Manduca sexta (Sphingidae), also produce airborne sounds upon attack, and that these sounds precede regurgitation

Source
05

Millar et al. 2016

Millar et al. (2016). Sex Attractant Pheromone of the Luna Moth, Actias luna (Linnaeus). Journal of Chemical Ecology.

The page saysThe luna moth (Actias luna) is a pale green giant silk moth
The source saysa giant silk moth, the luna moth Actias luna
The page saysthe family of giant silk moths the luna belongs to
The source saysGiant silk moths (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)
The page saysResearchers identified its compounds, made them artificially, and found in field trials in Ontario and Kentucky that male moths were attracted to one of them on its own.
The source saysThese identifications were confirmed by synthesis, followed by testing of blends of the synthetic compounds in field trials in Ontario, Canada, and Kentucky, USA. Male moths were attracted to synthetic E6,Z11-18:Ald as a single component.

Source
06

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Actias luna (luna moth). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysForested areas of eastern North America, from southern Canada to Florida
The source saysThe luna moth occurs in the forested areas of North AmericaNote: stats.habitat; range detail claimed in the body from Hall 2007
The page saysLeaves of trees such as birch, hickory, walnut, sweetgum and persimmon as a caterpillar; adults do not feed
The source saysAs a caterpillar it feeds on the foliage of various species of hickory, walnut, sweet-gum, persimmon, and birch treesNote: stats.diet
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysIUCN Red List Not EvaluatedNote: stats.conservationStatus; ADW only, prefetch found no Red List assessment
The page sayspale green
The source saysvarying in color from yellowish green to pale bluish green

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.