Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Iris Eyed Silkmoth
Description
Family Saturniidae
'The Saturniidae are members
of the Superfamily
Bombycoidea
. These species are medium to very large in size, and this family
includes the largest moths in North America. Adults
have a wingspan of 3 to 15 centimeters, relatively small heads
, and densely hairy
bodies. Larvae are usually very fleshy
, with clumps
of raised bristles
. Buck
moth and Io
moth caterpillars have sharp, stinging
hairs
. Caterpillars mostly feed
on leaves of trees
and shrubs
; some cause severe damage. Pupa develop in silken cocoons
or in the soil. This family does not contain the commercial
silkworm moth (Bombyx mori), which is not native
to North America.
'[1]
Subfamily Hemileucinae
The buck and io moths are members of the Family Saturniidae. Adults of these species have wingspans of 4.5 to 8 cm, hairy bodies, and relatively small heads . Caterpillars have sharp, stinging hairs , and feed on leaves of trees and shrubs . Some buck and io moths pupate in a well-built silken cocoon .[2]
Physical Description
Species Automeris iris
Upperside of forewing is gray-brown with a pink tint and a darker wing base . Brown median line is distinct . Upperside of hindwing is orange with a gray-brown margin and a large eyespot circled in gray and black. (ref. 106120)
Color:
Upperside of forewing is gray-brown with a pink tint and a darker wing base . Brown median line is distinct . Upperside of hindwing is orange with a gray-brown margin and a large eyespot circled in gray and black.
Size/Age/Growth
Wing span : 2 7/8 - 3 1/2 inches (7.4 - 9 cm).
Habitat
Oak woodlands in low mountains.
Biology
Diet
Caterpillar hosts: Oaks (Quercus). Adult food: Adults do not feed .
Reproduction
Females deposit eggs in groups of 6-40. Young caterpillars feed together. Some caterpillars in captivity spun cocoons in leaf litter , but some pupated in the litter without spinning a cocoon.
Behavior
Flight: One brood from mid-July to early August.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
()
- Order:
Lepidoptera
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
()
- Superfamily:
Bombycoidea
()
- Family:
Saturniidae
()
- Boisduval, 1834[1837]
- Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths
- Subfamily:
Hemileucinae
()
- Buck and Io Moths
- Genus:
Automeris
()
- Hübner, [1819]
- Specific name:
iris
- Walker 1865
- Scientific name: - Automeris iris Walker 1865
- Specific name:
iris
- Walker 1865
- Genus:
Automeris
(
- Subfamily:
Hemileucinae
(
- Family:
Saturniidae
(
- Superfamily:
Bombycoidea
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name .
Similar Species
Members of the genus Automeris
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 7 species and subspecies in this genus:
A. cecrops (Cecrops Eyed Silkmoth) · A. io (Io Moth) · A. iris (Iris Eyed Silkmoth) · A. louisiana (Louisiana Eyed Silkmoth) · A. patagoniensis (Patagonia Eyed Silkmoth) · A. randa (Randa's Eyed Silkmoth) · A. zephyria (Zephyr Eyed Silkmoth)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 15, 2012.
- LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Release date: June 15, 2005
- Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
- Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version of April 17, 2009).
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2605323
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-65934.0
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEW0N040
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 171369
