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Genus Antheraea

Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar - Antheraea polyphemus

Polyphemus Caterpillar - Antheraea polyphemus

Polyphemus moth caterpillar hatched - Antheraea polyphemus

Polyphemus caterpillar - Antheraea polyphemus - male

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

No Taxon (Moths)

Superfamily Bombycoidea

Family Saturniidae (Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths)

Subfamily Saturniinae (Silkmoths)

Tribe Saturniini

Genus Antheraea

Numbers

Nearctica.com lists just one species, A. polyphemus, for North America.

Tuskes, pp. 179-182 describe a former subspecies of A. polyphemus as a separate species, A. oculea (1)

Remarks

Holland said genus (Telea) is found in new world, has just 2-3 species. (2) Since that time, genus Telea has apparently been combined with an old world genus, Antheraea. This has about 40 species, including four in New World, and two have been introduced into Europe. (Though BugGuide emphasizes North America, it is interesting to see Old World relatives of our one member of this genus.) Members of the genus from the New World are able to hybridize, and produce viable offspring, with members from the Old World. This helps validate the placing of both groups of species in the same genus. (1)

Print References

Tuskes, pp. 176-182 (1)

Holland, pp. 87-89 (2)

Internet References

Japanese Oak Silkmoth (Saturniidae of Europe)

Genus Antheraea--Finnish Lepidoptera

Antheraea oculea image--moths of Southeast Arizona

Antheraea oculea--page on species

Moths of North America--Oculea silkmoth (Antheraea oculea)

Works Cited

1.	The Wild Silk Moths of North America: A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada By Paul M. Tuskes, James P. Tuttle, Michael M. Collins

2.	The Moth Book By W.J. Holland

Contributed by Cotinis on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Last updated 7 September, 2004 - 10:28am

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