What moth has the largest wing area of any insect?

The moth with the largest wing area of any insect is the Hercules moth. Its scientific name is Coscinocera hercules, a saturniid moth native to New Guinea and northern Australia.

Its wings have a documented surface area of about 300 square centimetres, exceeding that of the Atlas moth and other commonly cited giant moths. This record concerns total wing surface area, not simply wingspan or body mass.

The Hercules moth is also Australia’s largest moth by wingspan. Adults are golden-brown and white, with transparent spots across the four wing sections. Males typically have longer, slimmer tails on their wings than females.

Its larvae grow to roughly 12 centimetres long and can weigh about 54 grams in their final instar. The species belongs to Saturniidae, the family that includes many of the world’s largest moths.