Paradise swarmer (SciiFii)

The paradise swarmer or paradise moth (Irisapapio paradisa) is a species of moth that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the paradise swarmer is the ailanthus silkmoth (Samia cynthia). There are two known subspecies of paradise swarmers, the northern paradise swarmer (Irisapapio paradisa borealis) and the southern paradise swarmer (Irisapapio paradisa floridanus). The northern paradise swamer has a wingspan about 15 centimeters on average, and the northern paradise swarmer caterpillar hibernates through the winter in a cocoon. The southern paradise swarmer subspecies is larger, growing to be about 5 centimeters with a 30 centimeter long wingspan, due to the fact that the southern subspecies has a longer period of time to feed before needing to pupate. The paradise swarmer, like butterflies, is a diurnal insect as an adult, but unlike butterfly caterpillars, the paradise swarmer caterpillars are nocturnal and only feed at night in order to avoid predators.The larvae are highly adaptable and can feed on many kinds of tree leaves and bushes. The paradise swarmer earns its name from the fact that all adult paradise swarmer moths emerge en mass during the late spring, and all adults court, mate and die within a few days. The adults don't have mouth parts and a digestive system, and die shortly after mating. Being large, very visible and on top of that a slow flier, this behavior overwhelms many aerial predators, and ensures that as many paradise swarmer moths as possible survive. There are so many paradise swarmers that the predators simply couldn't eat them all. The paradise swarmer's antennae are used to locate the opposite sexes, and females use them to find the suitable food for their larvae as well. The large colorful wings are used for courtship, and once a male and female has formed a pair they will court each other by spiralling upwards and then gliding downwards in unison, this dance is performed several times before copulation takes place. Individuals that are poor dancers won't be able to find a mate. The long tails on the hindwings spiral around as the paradise swarmer flies, and individuals with the longest tails are preferred as partners. The females lay large masses of eggs, however, with so many insect-eating predators found in North America (both natural and SciiFii's (re)creations), only a small percentage of eggs survive into adulthood, avoiding the overpopulation problems. Since the swarming of the paradise swarmers are so predictable and occurs throughout North America, there's a holiday called Swarming Day, which celebrates the event. The conservation status of the paradise swarmer is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the paradise swarmer's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii