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.
Samia cynthia, the ailanthus silkmoth, is a saturniid moth, used to produce silk fabric but not as domesticated as the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The moth has very large wings of 113–125 mm (4.4–4.9 in), with a quarter-moon shaped spot on both the upper and lower wings, whitish and yellow stripes and brown background. There are eyespots on the outer forewings. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.
Saturnia is a genus of large silkmoths in the family Saturniidae, which the German biologist Franz von Paula Schrank first described in 1802. Its members are commonly named emperor moths, though this is also used for various close relatives in subfamily Saturniinae. Most species are Palearctic, but three, commonly called "saturnia moths", inhabit the chaparral of California: S. mendocino, S. walterorum, and S. albofasciata.
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.
Callosamia promethea, commonly known as the promethea silkmoth, is a member of the family Saturniidae, which contains approximately 1,300 species. It is also known as the spicebush silkmoth, which refers to one of the promethea silkmoth's common host plants, spicebush. C. promethea is classified as a silk moth, which stems from its ability to produce silk, which it does in the formation of its cocoon. C. promethea lives in forests in the eastern U.S. and does not damage the trees on which it lives. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.
James Anderson was a Scottish physician and botanist who worked in India as an employee of the East India Company. During his career in India, he was involved in establishing a botanical garden at Mambalam, Madras, originating from a nopalry or Opuntia garden where he made attempts to introduce the cultivation of cochineal insects. He then attempted to introduce various other economically valuable plants, and examined silk and lac production. He maintained a steady communication with his friend from youth, James Anderson LLD (1739–1808) who published some of his notes in The Bee, or Literary Weekly Intelligencer, which has led to the use of the distinguishing form James Anderson MD or James Anderson of Madras.
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 yamamai, the Japanese silk moth or Japanese oak silkmoth is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is endemic to east Asia, but has been imported to Europe for tussar silk production and is now found in southeastern Europe, mainly in Austria, northeastern Italy, and the Balkans. It seems to be spreading north and a population has been reported near Deggendorf and Passau in Germany. The species was first described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1861. It has been hybridized artificially with Antheraea polyphemus of North America.
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.
Samia canningi, the wild eri silk moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is found in south-eastern Asia and China.
Samia is a genus of moths in the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Copaxa sapatoza is a species of moth in the family Saturniidae first described by John O. Westwood in 1854 as Saturnia sapatoza. It is found in the north-east of the Andean Cordillera in Colombia at high elevations.
Ahimsa silk is a method of nonviolent silk breeding and harvesting. Wild silk moths are bred rather than the domestic variety. It allows the completion of the metamorphosis of the silkworm to its moth stage, whereas most silk harvesting requires the silkworms to be killed in their cocoon stage. No animals suffer or die for the silk to be produced, making it a favorable alternative to normal silk for those who object to harming animals.
Saturnia mendocino, the Mendocino saturnia moth, is a species of silkmoth in the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Behrens in 1876 and it is found in North America.
Automeris patagoniensis, the Patagonia eyed silkmoth, is a species of insect in the family Saturniidae. It is found in North America.
Saturnia albofasciata, the white-streaked saturnia moth, is a species of silkmoth in the family Saturniidae. It's endemic to California.
Saturnia walterorum, or Walter's saturnia moth, is a species of silkmoth in the family Saturniidae. It is found in Central America and North America.
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.
