# Erebus ephesperis

*Erebus ephesperis*

The 'eyes' on its wings are a form of mimicry designed to startle predators into thinking they have stumbled upon a much larger animal.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Erebidae › Erebus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Subtropical and temperate broadleaf forests and woodland edges.
- **Diet:** Larvae feed on Smilax (greenbrier) leaves; adults consume fermenting fruit juices and tree sap.
- **Range:** Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Southeast Asia
- **Size:** 70-90mm wingspan
- **Lifespan:** 1-2 weeks as an adult moth
- **Active:** nocturnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation and light pollution which disrupts mating and navigation.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. If encountered, maintain a respectful distance to observe its camouflage. If it enters a home, gently capture it in a container and release it after dark. Do not touch the wings, as this can remove the delicate scales necessary for flight.

## About

Erebus ephesperis is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in Asia, including India, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, Singapore and Borneo.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/de38748f-2b6b-4a54-b065-1ee06598607d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/122957
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erebus ephesperis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/51382776/medium.jpeg (Takaaki Hattori, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.