Saturnia is a genus of large silkmoths in the family Saturniidae, which the German biologist Franz von Paula Schrank first described in 1802. Its members are commonly named emperor moths, though this is also used for various close relatives in subfamily Saturniinae. Most species are Palearctic, but three, commonly called "saturnia moths", inhabit the chaparral of California: S. mendocino, S. walterorum, and S. albofasciata.

Saturnia
Giant emperor moth (Saturnia pyri)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Tribe: Saturniini
Genus: Saturnia
Schrank, 1802
Synonyms
  • Eudia Jordan in Seitz, 1911
  • Heraea Hübner, 1822
  • Pavonia Hübner [1819] (non Lamarck, 1816: preoccupied)

Species edit

The known species of Saturnia are:[1]

Formerly placed here was the Brazilian Arsenura pandora. Whether the autumn emperor moth (Perisomena caecigena), here separated in a monotypic genus, is not actually better included in Saturnia needs to be determined; the same goes for the genus Neoris.

References edit

  1. ^ Savela, Markku. "Saturnia Schrank, 1802". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  2. ^ Paul A. Opler; Harry Pavulaan; Ray E. Stanford; Michael Pogue (coordinators) (2006). "White-streaked saturnia moth, Saturnia albofasciata (Johnson, 1938)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07..
  3. ^ Paul A. Opler; Harry Pavulaan; Ray E. Stanford; Michael Pogue (coordinators) (2006). "Mendocino saturnia moth, Saturnia mendocino Behrens, 1876". Butterflies and Moths of North America.
  4. ^ Paul A. Opler; Harry Pavulaan; Ray E. Stanford; Michael Pogue (coordinators) (2006). "Walters' saturnia moth Saturnia walterorum Hogue & Johnson, 1958". Butterflies and Moths of North America.