Types Of Giant Silk Moths

For 600 years the silk of these larvae was exclusively reserved for use by members of the royal families of assam in northern india hence the name assam silkmoth.

Types of giant silk moths. Many of them are spectacular including the cecropia luna buck io imperial polyphemus rosy maple spiny oakworm and royal moths. Missouri has 16 species of saturniid or giant silkworm moths. The most notable feature of the moth is its large purplish eyespots on its two hindwings. The luna moth the cecropia moth the polyphemus moth the imperial moth the io moth the promethea moth and the royal walnut moth.

They have a wingspan of 16 inches where the males have an elongated abdomen the four large reversible coremata. The cecropia moth is a giant among giants with the longest wingspana remarkable 5 7 inchesof all. This moth has golden colored wings with circular eye like markings on each and fuzzy antennae. The japanese silk moth is known for producing a rare naturally white silk.

Arctiids consist of a wide variety of moths including tiger moths lichen moths and wasp moths. It is a tan colored moth with an average wingspan of 15 cm 6 in. These moths have a polyphagous diet that makes them dangerous pests as well since they feed on lucerne crops seeds nuts rice and sorghum. Like the luna moth the japanese silk moth is part of the giant silk moth group with a wingspan as much as six inches its easy to understand why.

The gypsy moth has several subspecies namely the european gypsy moth asian gypsy moth and the japanese gypsy moth. There are approximately 100 giant silk moth species in north america with wingspans that range from 1 to 7 inches making them the largest moths on this side of the world. The caterpillar phase is the only time of their life cycle that silk moths can eat and they must eat enough to fuel their winter long metamorphosis like a bear stocking up to hibernate. Another species of the giant silk moth is the polyphemus moth.

The hummingbird hawk moth. This family is characterized by the presence of sound generating and sound receiving organs in the thorax chest region. The larvae of this moth produce tussar silk and exquisite silk which has a glossy finish is naturally stain resistant and becomes better with age. These moths emerge from their cocoons in june in what are knowns as flights live only long enough to mate and lay eggs and then die.

The largest moths of temperate north america are known as giant silk moths family saturniidae. Antheraea polyphemus the polyphemus moth is a north american member of the family saturniidae the giant silk moths.