ENY 3005 Family Identification

Lepidoptera: Saturniidae

Common name: giant silkworm moths

Identifying characteristics for the family Saturniidae include:

• Large moths, often with feathery antennae.
• Often with transparent "eyespots" on wings.

• Includes the well known cecropia, luna, polyphemus and io moths.
• Caterpillars of some species have stinging spines.

References:

• Pages 232-233 and plate 10 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Pages 292-294 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
• Pages 44 and plates 8-10 in C. V. Covell, Jr. 1984. A Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 496 p.
• Pages 649 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
• Page 553 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.

Links to other web sites

• Saturniidae of the French Antilles
• Saturniid Moths - Kentucky entfacts
• Io moth, Automeris io (Fabricius)
• Regal moth, royal walnut moth, hickory horned devil, Citheronia regalis (Fabricius)
• Yellowstriped oakworm, Anisota peigleri. The illustrated life history of a late summer defoliator of oak trees
• Moths of Florida

The io moth image above was extracted from "Forest Insects and Their Damage," a two-volume set of Kodak Photo CDs produced by the Southern Forest Insect Work Conference. For further information check out the SFIWC web site:

www.bugwood.caes.uga.edu/forestcd/