Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Infelix (unfortunate)
Species: caputlumen (headlight)

The caputlumen moth is a member of the largest family of moths, the Saturniidae. Other moths of the same family include the Peacock, Emperor, Moon, Royal and Atlas moths. This family are generally large and heavy-bodied with wings that are often conspicuously marked. Mouthparts are entirely non-functional as the adults do not feed. Males tend to have feathery antennae, females more thread-like. Members of the Saturniidae family can be spotted throughout Britain reasonably frequently however the caputlumen moth has become something of an urban myth with only one recorded sighting. The species was discovered shortly before it was destroyed by a headlong collision with a car (Limehouse, 2003).

No photographic images of the "complete" caputlumen moth exist but its remains were presented to the Natural History Museum, London where a number of investigations were undertaken upon the specimen until its origins could be confirmed. Scientists are left unsure as to whether or not the moth is a freak hybrid or the result of genetic engineering.

Lepidopterists can only guess at the life cycle of the moth basing judgements on both the habitat in which it was found in and the lifecycles of moths of the same family. It is most likely that larvae of the moth live inside the drains at busy roadsides, feeding on leaf mulch. On emerging from the cocoon the adult moth is a night flier. Attracted by the glare of passing car headlights (hence its name) it has a limited time to breed. Eggs are probably laid in mid air and use the gentle slope of the road to roll into drainpipes. The moth is unlikely to be able to fly more than a metre due to its large size. Estimated life-span is between 30 seconds and 4 minutes dependent on traffic. Almost entirely reliant upon fortune to sustain the species the caputlumen moth is likely to extinct itself in a relatively short period of time if it has not already done so.

Specialists created a re-constructed model of the moth (see photographs below). The scale shown in the model is slightly larger than life.