A Seattle resident was surprised by a massive moth hanging around his garage. A University of Washington entomologist asked the homeowner to capture the creature in a bag for positive identification. It turned out to be an Atlas moth with a 10" wingspan, the first confirmation of this species in the United States. They're usually only found in tropical regions in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. From Smithsonian:
Atlas moths are federally quarantined pests, which means it's illegal to "obtain, harbor, rear or sell live moths, whether adults, eggs, larvae or pupae without a permit" from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per the WSDA.
It's not exactly clear how the Atlas moth found its way to the Pacific Northwest, but scientists have a pretty good guess. Someone with a Bellevue-based account was selling Atlas moth cocoons on eBay for $60 each. The listing has since been taken down, but Tobin suspects the Atlas moth likely escaped from that illegal seller, reports the Seattle Times' Amanda Zhou.
