| White witch | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Genus: | Thysania |
| Species: | T. agrippina
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| Binomial name | |
| Thysania agrippina (Cramer, 1776)
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| Synonyms | |
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Thysania agrippina is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Maria Sibylla Merian in her 1705 publication Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, and Pieter Cramer provided the formal description of the species in 1776. The most commonly accepted English name is the white witch. Other common names include the ghost moth, great gray witch and great owlet moth. Thysania agrippina is of interest as a competitor for title of "largest insect". This may be true by the measure of wingspan—a Brazilian specimen with a wingspan of almost 30 cm (12 in) appears to hold the record.[1] The Atlas moth and Hercules moth, however, have greater wing areas.[1] The white witch occurs from Uruguay to Mexico, and appears as a stray as far north as Texas in the U.S.[2] Collection dates shows no discernible pattern with respect to location or season.[3]
- ^ a b Kons, Hugo Jr. (30 March 2000). "Chapter 32 — Largest Lepidopteran Wing Span". Book of Insect Records. University of Florida. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ "Observation collection/observation localities of Thysania". Google My Maps.
- ^ "Blog". White Witch Watch. Retrieved 13 December 2018.