A giant moth has sprung to life in Bermuda a year after it arrived as an unidentified cocoon attached to a batch of imported Christmas trees.

It has taken a full 12 months for the huge moth to end its lengthy spell of metamorphosis into a fully-fledged adult moth and begin the final stage of its life. And it has now been put on display at the Aquarium.

But if you want to see this wonder of nature you’ll have to be quick as it is likely to live only for a week or so.

Cecropia moths are amongst the largest found in North America and the female of the species can have a wingspan up to three inches across.

They are found in US States as far west as the Rocky Mountains and also north in a number of Canadian provinces, but despite being a common moth they are rarely seen because they generally only fly at night and have a short life-span of between ten days and two weeks.

The moth is now a star attraction at the “Local Tales” insect house at the Zoo and Aquarium, but anyone wishing to see the insect should hurry as it is expected to die before the end of the year.

Explaining how the moth came to “hatch” in Bermuda, Plant Protection Officer and entomologist Claire Jessey said: “It was discovered when we inspected Christmas trees arriving at the docks last year (in 2005).

“We look for a variety of pests and diseases, especially pine needle scale, and any other hitch-hikers,” said Ms Jessey.

The moth falls into the category of “other hitchhiker” as it is not regarded as a pest or a spreader of disease.

During an inspection of the Christmas trees, a cocoon was found attached to one of the trees and it was taken away and put in a storage jar by Ms Jessey. It was more or less forgotten about for a whole year until a strange scratching noise from within the jar on the shelf alerted Ms Jessey that something had happened to the cocoon.

She looked inside and found the brilliantly coloured giant moth waiting to get out.

A quick check on the Internet identified the insect as a cercopia moth, one of the largest moths in North American.

“They are nocturnal and have no mouth so they do not eat. They live off the energy they have conserved during the caterpillar stage. “This moth has been in its cocoon for 12 months, which is a little unusual,” explained Ms Jessey.

Plant Protection Officers carry out checks of plants, flowers and non-grocery store fruit and vegetables brought to the Island and quarantine any alien species that are found.

“It is also normal for the team to travel to the US and Canada to conduct pre-inspections of plants and trees before they are shipped to Bermuda to ensure they are not carrying any harmful disease or pests.”

The batch of trees that carried the moth cocoon came from North Carolina and was not inspected until arrival at the dock in Bermuda.

Ms Jessey said the moth was the largest and most beautiful she had seen in ten years of inspections, and she encouraged others to go along to see it at the Aquarium before it dies. The moth does not eat during its brief life but has a sole mission of finding a mate.

“I’d encourage people to go and see it at the Aquarium while it is still alive. Once it dies it will be pinned out and mounted and used as a display exhibit.”

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