Aglia tau

Description

Aglia tau, the tau emperor, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is found in Europe and across Central Asia to the Pacific coast. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The wingspan is 60–84 mm. The moth flies in one generation from March to July depending on the location. The larvae primarily feed on European beech, but also birch, Alnus glutinosa, Salix caprea and Sorbus aucuparia. The larvae look rather like hickory horned devil caterpillars in the early instar. Aglia is a genus of moths in the family Saturniidae first described by Ochsenheimer in 1810. It is the only genus in the subfamily Agliinae.