Lyssa Zampa & Telamonia Dimidiata - A Giant Moth & A Curious Jumping Spider Spotted in Da Nang, Viet Nam

Hello everyone, and welcome to Da Nang, a coastal city in central Vietnam. Today, I would like to share some photos of different insects and other creatures I found around the My An neighborhood. This area of Da Nang is known for its relaxed urban beach vibe, with many hotels, bars, restaurants, and condo buildings. There isn’t much in terms of nature in this area, save for a few very small parks, vacant lots being used as urban gardens or for dumping trash, and of course the beach. That being said, the lack of natural areas here does not get in the way of nature, which always finds unique ways to adapt in these urban settings.

The first example of this is a large moth I found on the wall at my local gym. His dark colored wings helped him to blend into the black paint, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only one who noticed him chilling up in the corner of the room. He is definitely one of the largest moths I have ever seen, already the size of the palm of an adult hand without extending his wings. I am no scientist, but my best guess from looking at a bunch of moth photos is that it is a variation of the lyssa zampa, otherwise known as the tropical swallowtail moth.

Their long antenna, with a comb-like shape suggests that this is a male moth. The large antennas are used to detect the pheromones of nearby females. I was surprised to learn that adult moths hardly eat anything, except for some bits of moisture or minerals. Most of the moth's time and focus is spent finding a mate. I hope this guy was successful.

The next insect I found was much smaller than the moth, a little spider no bigger than a cashew. I spent a good minute or so looking at this little guy. When I first notice him, he is moving fast and erratic, blinking from one place to another like a trick of the eye.

A few moments after I notice him, he comes a little closer and turns his eyes to me. I can feel his curious gaze, as I inch closer to him for a closer look. He doesn’t flinch or run away, even when I get close. I look into his soul and transmit a message that I like to think he could understand. In this message, I welcomed him to stay as long as he wants, and I invited him to eat as many mosquitos as his little heart desires.

I am normally creeped out a bit by spiders, but I actually kinda found him to be cute. I also understand spiders have a good utility in Southeast Asian countries where mosquitos and cockroaches are ever present, and a sturdy spider can be a helpful deterrent.

From some research, it looks like this is a type of jumping spider, either Telamonia or Carrhotus. They are known to be very curious, which I can confirm. I read they can jump 10 to 50 times their size, which is a radius my face was certainly within while I was looking at him, so I appreciate his discretion haha

I hope you enjoyed reading about the curious creatures I found around Da Nang, Viet Nam. My best guess is the species are lyssa zampa (moth) and telamonia dimidiata (spider), if you think they might be another species, let me know!

All photos were taken by me. I hope you have a wonderful day.