Samia (moth)
Samia cynthia
Samia (syn. Philosamia ) is a genus of butterflies of the family of peacock moth ( Saturniidae ). The Global Lepidoptera Names Index of the Natural History Museum lists 10 species in this genus. The genus is sometimes called in the literature on sericulture Philosamia. Samia cynthia and related species of the genus Samia were grown for a long time in China for commercial silk farming.
Features
The large moths have relatively small body. The front wings are lehmgelb to olive brown. They carry on the front wing base a strongly towards the body angled white band which is externally edged black. The band is up to disk Alber calibration and opens into an elongated Mondfleck. This is transparent to on his wing leading edge directed towards the border and thin white limited. Behind the stain is filled wide lehmgelb. The Mondfleck separates an exterior adjacent to him, white Diskalband in two slightly curved towards the body parts which are bounded by red violet black inside and out. The moths, caterpillars and cocoons are similar to those of the closely related genus Attacus.
Taxonomy and systematics
The number of species comprising the genus is controversial. There are authors who believe that only Samia cynthia the species status to be ascribed. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index of the Natural History Museum, however, lists the following species of the genus:
Occurrence and life
The genus was originally distributed Asian. Highly adaptable, animals were introduced for the sericulture but also in Europe and North and South America, where now entflogene animals formed stable populations in the wild, such as in France, Italy, Uruguay and the United States of America.
- Samia cynthia ( Drury, 1773)
- Samia vandenberghi Watson, 1915
- Samia pryeri Butler, 1878
- Samia walkeri Fields, 1862
- Samia tetrica ( Rebel, 1923)
- Samia vaneeckei Watson, 1913
- Samia ceramensis Bouvier, 1928
- Samia canningii Hutton, 1860
- Samia insularis full Mayrhofen. , 1862
- Samia luzonica Watson, 1913