Antheraea paphia | |
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Illustration of adult female (above) and male (below) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Saturniidae |
Genus: | Antheraea |
Species: | A. paphia |
Binomial name | |
Antheraea paphia | |
Synonyms | |
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Antheraea paphia, known as the South India small tussore, the tasar silkworm and vanya silkworm [2] is a species of moth of the family Saturniidae found in India [3] [4] and Sri Lanka. [5] The bulk of the literature on this species uses a junior synonym, Antheraea mylitta, rather than the correct name, A. paphia. [1] It is one of a number of tasar silkworms, species that produce Tussar silk, a kind of wild silk that is made from the products of saturniid silkworms instead of the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori). [6]
This species is variable, with at least 44 identified ecoraces, populations adapted to varied ecological conditions and food plants. Ten ecoraces are used for silk production and have been studied to obtain data about their life cycles and silk characteristics. [7] [8] Some ecoraces are so well differentiated that they do not interbreed in nature, though they are not genetically distinct and can be bred in captivity. [3]
The male is reddish or yellowish. Costal brown and grey fascia of forewings reaching the apex. Hyaline and ocellated spots (eyespots) are much larger than those of A. roylei . The submarginal line of the hind wings close to the margin. No marginal yellow line is seen. Females may be pinkish-brown or bright-yellowish fawn; their hyaline and ocellated spots are larger than the males. Larvae are green colored with paired dorsal series of yellow humps. White lunulate spots on the fifth and sixth somites have purple borders, whereas a lateral yellow line from seventh somite ends in a dilated brown band on the anal somite. Spiracles are yellow. The cocoon is brownish grey, hard, and oval, attached to the host plant by a silken peduncle. [9]
Larvae of this species feed mainly on Terminalia trees (e.g. Terminalia tomentosa , T. arjuna ) and on Shorea robusta . It also eats many other kinds of plants, with various ecoraces specializing on certain taxa. [3] Other plants appearing in its diet include Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana), axlewood (Anogeissus latifolia), jambul (Syzygium cumini), Madhuca indica , kumbi (Careya arborea), anjan (Hardwickia binata), [6] and species of teak (Tectona spp.) and crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.).[ citation needed ]
Tussar silk from this and related species of wild silkworms is a different color from domesticated silkworm silk, and it is coarser and stronger, making it more favorable in some applications. [3]
Like the domesticated silkworm, this species is susceptible to pébrine, a disease caused by microsporidian fungi in the genus Nosema . It is lethal to the larvae. [10] It is also commonly infected with the Antheraea mylitta cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus" (AmCPV), a cypovirus which has been reported to destroy around 20% of each silk crop by inducing diarrhea in the larvae, leading to a condition known as grasserie. [11] Natural enemies of this silkworm include the uzi fly (Blepharipa zebina), which is a parasitoid that uses the silkworm larvae as a food source for its maggots. [12]
Many ecoraces are threatened due to extensive deforestation and the collection of cocoons from wild populations. [13]
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is paraphyletic with respect to butterflies and neither subordinate taxon is used in modern classifications. Moths make up the vast majority of the order. There are approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, although there are also crepuscular and diurnal species.
Bombyx mori, commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of particular economic value, being a primary producer of silk. The silkworm's preferred food are the leaves of white mulberry, though they may eat other species of mulberry, and even leaves of other plants like the osage orange. Domestic silk moths are entirely dependent on humans for reproduction, as a result of millennia of selective breeding. Wild silk moths, which are other species of Bombyx, are not as commercially viable in the production of silk.
The luna moth, also called the American moon moth, is a Nearctic moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae, a group commonly named the giant silk moths.
Saturniidae, members of which are commonly named the saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and giant silk moths.
Terminalia anogeissiana is a species of small to medium-sized trees native to the Indian subcontinent only. Its common names are axlewood (English), bakli, baajhi, dhau, dhawa, dhawra, or dhaora (Hindi).
Antheraea polyphemus, the Polyphemus moth, is a North American member of the family Saturniidae, the giant silk moths. It is a tan-colored moth, with an average wingspan of 15 cm (6 in). The most notable feature of the moth is its large, purplish eyespots on its two hindwings. The eyespots give it its name – from the Greek myth of the cyclops Polyphemus. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776. The species is widespread in continental North America, with local populations found throughout subarctic Canada and the United States. The caterpillar can eat 86,000 times its weight at emergence in a little less than two months. Polyphemus moths are considered to be very polyphagous, meaning they eat from a wide variety of plants.
The buck moth is a common insect found in oak forests, stretching in the United States from peninsular Florida to New England, and as far west as Texas and Kansas. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. The larvae typically emerge in a single generation in the spring. The larvae are covered in hollow spines that are attached to a poison sac. The poison can cause symptoms ranging from stinging, itching and burning sensations to nausea. Subspecies Hemileuca maia maia is listed as endangered in the US state of Connecticut. Subspecies Hemileuca maia menyanthevora, the bog buck moth, is federally endangered, and also protected by Canada and the state of New York. There were five populations known historically but only three still survive, one in the US and two in Canada.
The Saturniinae or saturniines are a subfamily of the family Saturniidae, also known as giant silkmoths. They are commonly known as emperor moths or wild silk moths. They are easily spotted by the eyespots on the upper surface of their wings. Some exhibit realistic eye-like markings, whilst others have adapted the eyespots to form crescent moon or angular shapes or have lost their wing scales to create transparent windows. They are medium to very large moths, with adult wingspans ranging from 7.5 to 15 cm, in some cases even more. They consist of some of the largest sized Lepidoptera, such as the luna moth, atlas moth, and many more. The Saturniinae is an important source of wild silk and human food in many different cultures.
Helen Spurway was a British biologist and the second wife of J. B. S. Haldane. She emigrated to India in 1957 along with him, both taking up Indian citizenship in 1961, and conducted research in field biology with Krishna Dronamraju, Suresh Jayakar, and others. Sometimes known as Helen Spurway-Haldane.
Wild silks have been known and used in many countries from early times, although the scale of production is far smaller than that from cultivated silkworms. Silk cocoons and nests often resemble paper or cloth, and their use has arisen independently in many societies.
Antheraea is a genus of moths belonging to the family Saturniidae. It was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", the moths are named tussar moths after the fabric.
Antheraea assamensis, known as the muga silkworm as a larva and Assam silk moth as an adult, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Johann Wilhelm Helfer in 1837. It is found in Assam in northeast India where 99% of its production occurs.
Tussar silk is produced from larvae of several species of silkworms belonging to the moth genus Antheraea, including A. assamensis, A. paphia, A. pernyi, A. roylei, and A. yamamai. These silkworms live in the wild forests in trees belonging to Terminalia species and Shorea robusta, as well as other food plants such as jamun and oak found in South Asia, eating the leaves of the trees on which they live. Tussar silk is valued for its rich texture and natural, deep-gold colour, and varieties are produced in many countries, including China, India, Japan, and Sri Lanka.
Bhagalpuri silk or Tussar silk is a traditional style of silk saris. This material is used for making saris named as Bhagalpuri sari. Bhagalpur is also known as "silk city" of India. Bhagalpuri silk is made from cocoons of Antheraea paphia silkworms. This species, also known as Vanya silkworm is native to India. These silkworms live in the wild forests, in trees belonging to Terminalia species. Nathnagar is a place where Bhagalpuri silk is mainly processed. Besides sari, shawls, kurtis, and other garments are also made from Bhagalpuri silk.
Terminalia arjuna is a tree of the genus Terminalia. It is commonly known as arjuna or arjun tree in English.
Antheraea pernyi, the Chinese oak tussar moth, Chinese tasar moth or temperate tussar moth, is a large moth in the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1855. Antheraea roylei is an extremely close relative, and the present species might actually have evolved from ancestral A. roylei by chromosome rearrangement.
Gonometa postica, known commonly as the African wild silk moth, burn worm, and brandwurm, is a large species of African moth belonging to the family Lasiocampidae. The genus Gonometa boasts some very large moths and larvae; Gonometa sjostedti from Africa has a larva 16 centimeters long, for example. Most of the Lasiocampidae are highly sexually dimorphic. In G. postica the forewing of the male measures 21–25 mm and of the female 35–42 mm.
Antheraea cingalesa, the Sri Lankan tussar silk moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1883. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Antheraea roylei is a large moth in the family Saturniidae occurring in Nepal, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, West Malaysia, and the Himalayan regions of India. The species is considered to be the wild progenitor of the domesticated species known as Antheraea pernyi; the theory is that pernyi may have evolved from ancestral A. roylei by chromosome rearrangement during domestication.
Rhodinia fugax, the squeaking silkmoth, is a moth in the family Saturniidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877. It is native to Korea, Japan, China, and the Russian Far East.