Pale Flocking Moth

The pale flocking moth, also known as "sailor's saviour moths" or the "fisherman's moth", are large, white moths that live in coastal areas. Like all white death moths (Oblioptera) , they exhibit strange swarm-like behaviours. Part of countless legends and folk tales, these moths play an interesting role in varied cultures around the world.

Description

The pale flocking moth is large. Females are up to 120mm in length, and males can be up to 100mm. With elegant bodies and long white wings tipped with silvery rims that catch the light with a glinting shimmer, they are most easily distinguishable from their bonemoth cousins by their extra-long antennae and larger feet. They are are very graceful in appearance, and blend in well with pale icy surroundings.

Lifecycle

The moths begin their lives as an egg laid in the sand of beaches following large storms and rains, when the adults emerge, triggered by pressure changes in the air, to make use of the washed up animal carcasses and seaweed following a large storm. These beaches can be anywhere across Aresia, Skypiros, Katken and various other islands and small locations. The eggs are laid after heavy rain, and they hatch rapidly into grubs which feed on seaweed and washed up fish, whales and other dead creatures on the shorelines. The grubs are tiny at first, and grow to around 40mm in length before becoming too large to walk any great length. They then burrow deep into the sand, where they begin their metamorphosis, emerging when the next large storm changes the air pressure to trigger them to hatch.

Once emerged from their cocoons deep within the sand, the moths begin to flock, the behaviour that inspired their names. They fly above the sea on impressive nuptial flights. These flights never take place more than a mile or so away from the water's edge, making them an excellent indicator to sailors that land is nearby.

Uses

Unlike Bonemoths , the pale flocking moth has the ability to survive at sub-zero temperatures. This abilit is related to anti-freezing agents found in the fluid inside of their bodies, which chemically prevents ice crystals from forming. These agents are valued by alchemists who flock to beaches to collect the corpses of the moths following rains and nuptial flights, when their bodies wash up on the shore.

This agent is often used in compounds used to aid in resistance to cold and can be concentrated and added to water to allow it to be stored at cold temperatures without increasing salinity. The compound is thought to be slightly toxic, but in small doses used to treat water, it appears to not be dangerous.

Schollarly Name: Oblioptera atlasae
Common Names: Pale Flocking Moth, Fisherman's Moth
Conservation: Unknown Status
Range: Aresia, Skypiros, Katken. Various archipelagos