#sunset bug

[lifemod17]

Sunset Bug™ || 03/05/2025

[onenicebugperday]

Madagascan sunset moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus) wing scales at 50x magnification

Photos by Nicky Bay // Website // Facebook

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

The moth itself:

Photos by sympiotr

[dapper-lil-arts]

That joke on across the spiderverse reminded me so much of Trixie. Girl refuses to accept herself as a C-tier Twilight opponent lmao

[moths-daily]

Moth Of The Day #222

Madagascan Sunset Moth

Chrysiridia rhipheus

From the uraniidae family. They have a wingspan of 7-11 cm. They inhabit a wide variety of habitatsd, from deciduous forests to rain forest regions. They are endemic to Masagascar.

Image sources: [1] [2]

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

The Madagascan Sunset Moth: these moths are often mistaken for butterflies, thanks to their colorful, iridescent appearance

The scientific name of this species is Chrysiridia rhipheus, but it's commonly known as the Madagascan sunset moth. These gorgeous day-flying moths can be found only in Madagascar.

Above: a dorsal view of the same species

The Madagascan sunset moth has a strikingly colorful appearance, especially when its underwings are exposed, as a rainbow-like effect is produced by the iridescent scales that cover the underwings (and appear in smaller sections on the dorsal side of the wing).

Above: some of the iridescent scales on the underwings of Chrysiridia ripheus, as seen through a scanning electron microscope

The markings on the dorsal side are primarily black, with some patches of iridescent green, blue, and red. A "fringe" of white scales can also be seen along the edge of each wing; these are especially prominent on the hindwings.

Above: the dorsal patterns are visible only when the wings are left open

Like most day-flying moths, the adults of this species will often feed on nectar. Their caterpillars are known to consume Omphalea plants, which are toxic; those toxins are sequestered by the caterpillar and then retained through the pupal and adult stages of development, which means that the adult moth is toxic. Their colorful appearance is likely aposomatic, deterring predators by signaling that the moth itself is toxic.

Above: a magnified view of the white scales that outline the hindwings

Sources & More Info:

Navsari Agricultural University: Sunset Moth: the most beautiful insect

Oxford University Museum of Natural History: Madagascar

Moth Identification Guide: Madagascan Sunset Moth

California Academy of Sciences: Sunset Moth

Optica: Polarization-Sensitive Color Mixing in the Wing of the Madagascan Sunset Moth

Wikipedia: Chrysiridia rhipheus

[dinoserious]

INVERTOBER BEGINS… day 1 sunburst diving beetle!

[godfkndamnitlittlebastard]

May 25, 2025

-a.s.

[quasarcartoons]

A tiny mantis riding a bigger mantis in a flower field at sunset

[abirddogmoment]

wow what a privilege to live a life that 12yo me dreamed of

[ethernalium]

it's pride moth!

[artichokefartichoke]

[aisling-saoirse]

Sunset in the Canyon, Hedden Park, NJ - October 10th 2024

[emmanuel-the-manual]

A rainbow of moths and butterflies I’ve drawn this year!

Also there won’t be art for a while- I’ve broken my dominant arm and cannot draw for a month while it heals up.

Thank you so much for the love on the bug drawings!

[beausbugbiome]

Got a new phone with pretty good macro-capabilities! Look at all the little scales on the wing of this Madagascan Sunset Moth! (Chrysiridia rhipheus) 🌈🦋

Taken with iPhone 16 pro

[snakebites-and-ink]

I went to a lake to watch the sunset today and took some pictures

These are all free to use for anything except commercial AI

[banditblvd]

So like 4 people showed slight interest in my wcpdau so here you fellas go

Take my brainchild, which is less of a full proper story au and more like a series of doodles and various comics that have some vague common story

I’ll yap more about it under the cut :-)

Just general stuff, I can go in depth about it later but I’ll need reassurance that anyone gives a fuck beforehand

Right so as someone who’s had a cat special interest for practically my whole life, I had to find cat breeds that match the designs, lest I be too unrealistic (ignoring the very unnatural mouth/paw colors, I need whimsy in my life one way or another)

Dakota is a ginger American bobtail, Vynce/veer is a classic American shorthair brown tabby, will/whisper is a dark grey domestic longhair with slight vitiligo, and Ashe is a silver tabby longhair with white spotting :))

Slight spoilers for arc 2 of wc, since I imagine this is at the lake territory and vynce is from the tribe of rushing water

I only changed Vyncent and william’s names to fit their respective origins, since Dakota and Ashe are both from a lakeside town and they’re both already pretty good cat names

William was (is?) a shadowclan apprentice named whisperpaw, naturally, though they just call him whisper or wisp*

Vyncent is named Wolf who veers toward nest, though they just call him veer*

(Veer like Virion.. :-D)

*theres a little comic in my sketchbook about their names so if anyone gives a shit about that I’ll post it?ighess

It’s still hero adjacent, but instead of big superpower superhero type shit, think Pokémon mystery dungeon