page_title: Saturniidae
section_title: Importance to humans
hierarchical_section_title: Saturniidae / Importance to humans
caption_attribution_description: This Imperial moth, eacles imperialis, is camouflaged specifically to look like a leaf litter, shown here with a nearly identical yellow poplar leaf.
context_page_description: 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 giant silk moths.
  Adults are characterized by large, lobed wings, heavy bodies covered in hair-like scales, and reduced mouthparts. They lack a frenulum, but the hindwings overlap the forewings to produce the effect of an unbroken wing surface. Saturniids are sometimes brightly colored and often have translucent eyespots or "windows" on their wings. Sexual dimorphism varies by species, but males can generally be distinguished by their larger, broader antennae. Most adults possess wingspans between 1-6 in, but some tropical species such as the Atlas moth may have wingspans up to 12 in. Together with certain Noctuidae, Saturniidae contains the largest Lepidoptera and some of the largest insects alive today.
context_section_description: A few species are important defoliator pests, including the orange-striped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria) on oaks, the pandora pinemoth (Coloradia pandora) on pines and Hemileuca oliviae on range grasses.
  Other species are of major commercial importance in tussah and wild silk production. These notably include the Chinese tussah moth (Antheraea pernyi), its hybridogenic descendant Antheraea × proylei, and the ailanthus silkmoth (Samia cynthia). Mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina), Gonimbrasia zambesina, the cabbage tree emperor moth (Bunaea alcinoe), Gynanisa maia, Imbrasia epimethea, Imbrasia oyemensis, Melanocera menippe, Microgone cana, Urota sinope and the pallid emperor moth (Cirina forda).
  Some species of Saturniidae such as the mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina) are used as a food source.
  Most Saturniidae are harmless animals at least as adults, and in many cases at all stages of their lives. Thus, some of the more spectacular species – in particular Antheraea – can be raised by children or school classes as educational pets. The soft, silken cocoons make an interesting keepsake for pupils.
  Some, including the genus Automeris, have urticating spines which sting.  
  Caterpillars of the genus Lonomia produce a deadly toxin injected into the victim when it is touched.
caption: Typical example of Saturniidae camouflage, Eacles imperialis (imperial moth), next to a nearly identical yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) leaf
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2017-07-23T22:32:34+20:00", "Image Artist": "Kaz Vorpal", "Image ExifOffset": "210", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[33, 33, 12851/10000]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[84, 17, 110359/2000]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "216", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[18, 31, 4]", "GPS GPSImgDirectionRef": "M", "GPS GPSImgDirection": "132", "GPS GPSProcessingMethod": "FUSED", "GPS GPSDate": "2017:07:22", "Image GPSInfo": "392", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2017:07:22 14:31:17", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2017:07:22 14:31:17", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF SubSecTime": "271734", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "271734", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "271734", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1158", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1544"}