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Genus Antheraea

Just Plain Scary Looking - Antheraea polyphemus Polyphemus Moth - Hodges#7757 - Antheraea polyphemus Polyphemus Moth  - Antheraea polyphemus - female Polyphemus Moth - Antheraea polyphemus Antheraea polyphemus? - Antheraea polyphemus unknown moth - Antheraea polyphemus Unknown Large White Cocoon - Antheraea polyphemus Polyphemus Moth - Antheraea polyphemus - female
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Bombycoidea (Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths)
Family Saturniidae (Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths)
Subfamily Saturniinae (Silkmoths)
Tribe Saturniini
Genus Antheraea
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Telea
Numbers
Nearctica (1) 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 (2)
Remarks
Holland said genus (Telea) is found in the new world, with just 2-3 species. (3) Since that time, genus Telea has 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. (2)
Males have over 65,000 sensilla on their antenna; females have about 13,000.(4)
Print References
Tuskes, pp. 176-182 (2)
Holland, pp. 87-89 (3)
Works Cited
1.Nearctica: Nomina Insecta Nearctica
2.The Wild Silk Moths of North America: A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada
Paul M. Tuskes, James P. Tuttle, Michael M. Collins. 1996. Cornell University Press.
3.The Moth Book
W.J. Holland. 1968. Dover.
4.The Insects : Structure and Function
R. F. Chapman. 1998. Cambridge University Press.