Creatonotos Gangis Insect With Hairy Tentacles Is Apparently Just A Moth
You might well have seen it on social media a weird redbodied, insectlike creature that, depending on which end you are looking from, either looks like a moth overtaking a centipede or vice a little bit of caterpillar thrown in. Lets be honest, with its pulsating back legs, the critter is enough to give anyone who already has a fear of creepy crawlies the complete heebiejeebies. Even worse, you can find it in Australia. The moths characteristic that really turns heads are those massive furry things streaking away from the Creatonotos abdomen; those dangly organs are its scent organs, called coremata. The coremata (or hairpencils) produce the pheromone hydroxydanaidal to attract their mates. Gangis is known for wreaking havoc on pomegranate trees and produces pheromones to try and attract mates. It apparently particularly likes to feed on plants that are high in pyrrolizidine alkaloids (bitter tasting, potentially toxic and thereby not fancied by other feeders) because it helps h
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