Bulls Eye Silkmoth

The bulls eye silkmoth (Gonimbrasia zambesina) does not form a silken cocoon like other silk moths but instead has what’s called a naked pupae. As the name implies, this native of Africa has a bulls eye pattern on its hindwings. We currently have 26 pupae that will emerge in the next month. As adults they don’t have functioning mouth parts, so they don’t live for very long once they’ve emerged.

Photo caption: pupae of a bulls eye silkmoth