''Antheraea'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Saturniidae Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, is a family of Lepidoptera with an estimated 2,300 described species. The family contains some of the largest species of moths in the world. Notable members include the emperor moths, royal moths, and gi ...

. The genus was erected by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1819. Several

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of this genus have

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s which produce

wild silk Wild silks have been known and used in many countries from early times, although the scale of production is far smaller than that from cultivated silkworms. Silk cocoons and nests often resemble paper or cloth, and their use has arisen independent ...

of commercial importance. Commonly called "

tussar silk Tussar silk (alternatively spelled as tussah, tushar, tassar, tussore, tasar, tussur, or tusser, and also known as (Sanskrit) ''kosa'' silk) is produced from larvae of several species of silkworms belonging to the moth genus ''Antheraea'', inclu ...

", the moths are named tussar moths after the fabric.

Taxonomy

Species

The genus includes these species: * '' Antheraea alleni'' Holloway, 1987 * ''

Antheraea alorensis ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' U. Paukstadt & L.h. Paukstadt, 2005 * ''

Antheraea andamana ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Moore, 1877 * ''

Antheraea angustomarginata ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Brechlin & Meister, 2009 * ''

Antheraea assamensis ''Antheraea assamensis'', known as the muga silkworm as a larva and Assam silk moth as an adult, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Johann Wilhelm Helfer in 1837. It is found in Assam in northeast India where 9 ...

'' Helfer, 1837 * ''

Antheraea billitonensis ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Moore, 1878 * '' Antheraea broschi'' Naumann, 2001 * '' Antheraea brunei'' Allen & Holloway, 1986 * ''

Antheraea castanea ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Jordan, 1910 (= ''A. mezops'') * ''

Antheraea celebensis ''Antheraea celebensis'' is a moth of the family Saturniidae first described by Watson in 1915. It is found in Sulawesi and Sundaland Sundaland (also called Sundaica or the Sundaic region) is a biogeographical region of South-eastern Asia ...

'' Watson, 1915 * ''

Antheraea cernyi ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Brechlin, 2002 * ''

Antheraea cihangiri ''Antheraea cihangiri'' is a moth of the family Saturniidae found in Pulau Peleng Peleng is an island off the east coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia and is the largest island of the Banggai Islands (''Kepulauan Banggai''). It is surrounded by the ...

'' Naumann & Naessig, 1998 * ''

Antheraea cingalesa ''Antheraea cingalesa'', the Sri Lankan tussar silk moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1883. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. Description Its wingspan is 12 to 16 cm. Sexes show dimorph ...

'' Moore, 1883 * ''

Antheraea compta ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Rothschild, 1899 * ''

Antheraea cordifolia ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Weymer, 1906 * ''

Antheraea crypta ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Chu & Wang, 1993 * ''

Antheraea diehli ''Antheraea diehli'' is a moth of the family Saturniidae found in Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. The species was first described by Claude Lemaire Claude Lemaire (21 February 1921 – 5 February 2004) was a French entomologist. He speci ...

'' Lemaire, 1979 * ''

Antheraea exspectata ''Antheraea exspectata'' is a moth of the family Saturniidae found in Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated ...

'' Brechlin, 2000 * ''

Antheraea fickei ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Weymer, 1909 * ''

Antheraea formosana ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Sonan, 1937 * ''

Antheraea frithi ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Moore, 1859 * '' Antheraea fusca'' Rothschild, 1903 * '' Antheraea gephyra'' Niepelt, 1926 * '' Antheraea godmani'' (Druce, 1892) * '' Antheraea gschwandneri'' Niepelt, 1918 * '' Antheraea gulata'' Naessig & Treadaway, 1998 * '' Antheraea hagedorni'' Naumann & Lourens, 2008 * ''

Antheraea halconensis ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' U. Paukstadt & Brosch, 1996 * '' Antheraea harndti'' Naumann, 1999 * '' Antheraea helferi'' Moore, 1859 * ''

Antheraea hollowayi ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Naessig & Naumann, 1998 * '' Antheraea imperator'' Watson, 1913 * '' Antheraea jakli'' Naumann, 2008 * '' Antheraea jana'' (Stoll, 1782) * '' Antheraea jawabaratensis'' Brechlin & Paukstadt, 2010 * '' Antheraea kageri'' U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt & Suhardjono, 1997 * ''

Antheraea kalangensis ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Brechlin & Meister, 2009 * '' Antheraea kelimutuensis'' U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt & Suhardjono, 1997 * ''

Antheraea knyvetti ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Hampson, 1893 *?'' Antheraea korintjiana'' * '' Antheraea lampei'' Naessig & Holloway, 1989 * '' Antheraea larissa'' (Westwood, 1847) * ''

Antheraea larissoides ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea lorosae'' M.D. Lane, Naumann & D.A. Lane, 2004 * '' Antheraea meisteri'' Brechlin, 2002 * '' Antheraea mentawai'' Naessig, Lampe & Kager, 2002 * '' Antheraea minahassae'' Niepelt, 1926 * '' Antheraea montezuma'' (Salle, 1856) * '' Antheraea moultoni'' Watson, 1927 * '' Antheraea myanmarensis'' U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt & Brosch, 1998 * ''

Antheraea mylittoides ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea pahangensis'' Brechlin & Paukstadt, 2010 * '' Antheraea oculea'' (Neumoegen, 1883) * ''

Antheraea paphia ''Antheraea paphia'', known as the South India small tussore, the tasar silkworm and vanya silkwormKavane, R. P. (2014)''Syzygium cumini'' L. – A potential new host of tropical tasar silkworm, ''Antheraea mylitta'' Drury (Lepidoptera: Satur ...

'' Linnaeus, 1758 (= ''A. mylitta'') * '' Antheraea pasteuri'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea paukpelengensis'' Brechlin & Meister, 2009 * '' Antheraea paukstadtorum'' Naumann, Holloway & Naessig, 1996 * '' Antheraea pedunculata'' Bouvier, 1936 * '' Antheraea pelengensis'' Brechlin, 2000 * '' Antheraea pernyi'' (Guérin-Méneville, 1855) – Chinese tussar moth * '' Antheraea perrottetii'' (Guérin-Méneville, 1843) * '' Antheraea platessa'' Rothschild, 1903 * '' Antheraea polyphemus'' (Cramer, 1775) – Polyphemus moth * '' Antheraea pratti'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea prelarissa'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea raffrayi'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea ranakaensis'' U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt & Suhardjono, 1997 * '' Antheraea rosemariae'' Holloway, Naessig & Naumann, 1995 * '' Antheraea rosieri'' ( Toxopeus, 1940) * '' Antheraea roylei'' Moore, 1859 * '' Antheraea rubicunda'' Brechlin, 2009 * ''

Antheraea rumphii ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' (Felder, 1861) * '' Antheraea schroederi'' U. Paukstadt, Brosch & L. Paukstadt, 1999 * '' Antheraea semperi'' C. & R. Felder, 1861 * '' Antheraea steinkeorum'' U. Paukstadt, L. Paukstadt & Brosch, 1999 * '' Antheraea subcaeca'' Bouvier, 1928 * '' Antheraea sumatrana'' Niepelt, 1926 * '' Antheraea sumbawaensis'' Brechlin, 2000 * ''

Antheraea superba ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Inoue, 1964 * '' Antheraea surakarta'' Moore, 1862 * '' Antheraea taripaensis'' Naumann, Naessig & Holloway, 1996 * '' Antheraea tenggarensis'' Brechlin, 2000 * '' Antheraea ulrichbroschi'' U. & L. Paukstadt, 1999 * ''

Antheraea vietnamensis ''Antheraea'' is a moth genus belonging to the family Saturniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Several species of this genus have caterpillars which produce wild silk of commercial importance. Commonly called "tussar silk", t ...

'' Brechlin & Paukstadt, 2010 * '' Antheraea viridiscura'' Holloway, Naessig & Naumann, 1996 * ''

Antheraea yamamai ''Antheraea yamamai'', the Japanese silk moth or Japanese oak silkmoth (Japanese: or ) is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is endemic to east Asia, but has been imported to Europe for tussar silk production and is now found in southeastern Eu ...

'' (Guérin-Méneville, 1861) – Japanese oak silk moth

Hybrids

* '' Antheraea × proylei'' (''A. pernyi'' male × ''A. roylei'' female) * '' Antheraea polyphemus'' male × ''

'' female (1960 -

Gary Botting Gary Norman Arthur Botting (born 19 July 1943) is a Canadian legal scholar and criminal defense lawyer as well as a poet, playwright, novelist, and critic of literature and religion, in particular Jehovah's Witnesses. The author of 40 published b ...

) (using pheromone transfer) * '' Antheraea polyphemus'' male × ''

'' female (1959 -

) (using pheromone transfer)See: "Gary's Open Window Way to Science Prize", ''Toronto Telegram'', 2 May 1960, page 1; "Ontario Boy Wins Top Spot in Science Fair", ''Toronto Telegram'', 13 May 1960; "Top Winner at U.S. Fair" ndianapolis: Special ''Indianapolis Times'', 14 May 1960; "Science Fair Winners", ''Science Newsletter'', 28 May 1960; "Moths Wing Lad to Oklahoma", ''Toronto Telegram'', 16 June 1960; "Student to be Guest of U.S. Institute", ''Globe and Mail'', 16 June 1960; "Bright Youth Brighter Today", ''Weekend Magazine'', Vol. 10, No. 40, 1960; "Young Expert on Moths Invited to India Talks", ''Toronto Telegram'', 29 December 1960; "Boy Collector: Moths Win Gary World Trip", ''Evening News'', 29 December 1960; "Young City Moth Expert Flies to India", ''Peterborough Examiner'', 30 December 1960; "Noted U.S. Scientists Address Roorkee Meeting", ''American Reporter'', 11 January 1961

Footnotes

References

* Tuskes, PM, JP Tuttle and MM Collins. 1996. ''The Wild Silk Moths of North America''. Cornell University Press. * "Studies on the filament of tasar silkworm, ''Antheraea mylitta'' D (Andhra local ecorace)." G. Shamitha and A. Purushotham Rao. ''Current Science'', Vol. 90, No. 12, 25 June 2006, pp. 1667–1671. PDF file downloadable from

External links

* "Raw & Organic Silk: Facts behind the Fibers

* "Walter Sweadner and the Wild Silk Moths of the Bitteroot Mountains. By Michael M. Collins

* Downloadable pdf file on ''Antheraea yamamai'' (in German

* "''Antheraea'' Hübner,

819 __NOTOC__ Year 819 (Roman numerals, DCCCXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Emperor Louis the Pious, Louis I marries Judith ...

1816

{{Taxonbar , from=Q135431 Antheraea, Moth genera Taxa named by Jacob Hübner Wild silk