Museum highlights

Scientific name: Actias ignescens Moore, 1877
Common name: Asian-American moon moth
Comment: This sexually dimorphic beautiful species of saturniid moth is found in Andaman island of India and Laos.

Common name: Leaf insect
Comment: The family Phylliidae of Order Phasmatodea contains the true leaf insects or walking leaves comprising of remarkably camouflaged leaf mimics (mimesis). These individuals disguise themselves with striking resemblance to give a leaf-like appearance and are easily misunderstood by their predators as real leaves. They confuse predators with their movement (rocks back and forth) to mimic a real leaf being blown by the wind.

Scientific name: Tirumala limniace exoticus (Gmélin, 1790)
Common name: Oriental Blue Tiger
Comment: This species of butterfly migrates extensively during the monsoons in southern India. Often encountered singly or multiple in numbers with slow undulating flight and shallow wing beats, they patrol flowery vegetation.

Scientific name: Phobaeticus annamalayanus (Wood-Mason)
Common name: Giant stick insect
Comment: Stick Insects (Order: Phasmatodea) belonging to the tribe Pharnaciini include the longest insects in the world. In 2016, the longest insect belonging to the genus Phryganistria Stål was reported from China which is 62.4 cm long (offspring upto 64 cm) and is mentioned in the Guinness World Records.
This Indian specimen of stick insect is 21cm long and was collected / donated by Dr P. Mahendran and Mr N. Santhana from UPASI (TRF) campus, Valparai, India to National Insect Museum (ICAR-NBAIR).