Atlas moth, one of world's largest, detected in US for first time: officials

A moth that has a wingspan of almost 25 cm was found in the United States for the first time, the Washington State Department of Agriculture has said.

It also asked residents to report further sightings of the animal to be able to determine if there's an atlas moth population.

The moth was reported by a university professor last month first to the state agency, and following that it was sent to the US Department of Agriculture which identified it as the atlas moth, which is considered among the world's largest.

"This is a 'gee-whiz' type of insect because it is so large," Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist for the department, has said.

"Even if you aren't on the lookout for insects, this is the type that people get their phones out and take a picture of — they are that striking."

"This is normally a tropical moth. We are not sure it could survive here," Spichiger said.

"We hope residents will help us learn if this was a one-off escapee or whether there might indeed be a population in the area," he added.

Not much is known about the atlas moth, but the experts on the issue believe that the host plants of the animal are cherries and apples.