This is one of those moths that are very eager to emerge. They start to develop immediately after they have been taken out of the fridge where the pupae stay to overwinter. High temperatures are not required for this. Day temperatures around ten degrees Celsius and a night temperature close to freezing point are still enough to trigger this species to hatch. Aglia tau is a medium sized Saturniid, with a wingspan between six and eight and a half centimeter. The females are larger. This is a variable species with more or less dark scaling on the wings. Less attractive forms with dark, sometimes almost black (melaina) or with wings that are dark over the outer half of the wings (ferenigra) exist. This species has only one flight per year (early Spring from the end of March until early May depending on local conditions). Tau occurs from Western Europe (but not the British Isles) through temperate Europe and Asia all the way to Japan. This species is absent in the north (northern Scandinavia) and south (southern Europe) of its distribution.
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| Aglia tau male - Origin: Czech Republic |
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| Aglia tau female - Origin: Czech Republic |
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| Aglia tau female resting position |
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| Aglia tau male resting position |
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| Aglia tau melaina male |