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Samia
Hubner
Type
species : cynthia Drury.
The ocelli of Samia are lunulate rather than triangular windows as in
Attacus; the fasciae are similar but the postmedial is generally
straighter. There is a dark submarginal spot posteriorly on the forewing
apical hook. In Archaeoattacus there is one anteriorly also, and in
Attacus only the anterior one is present.
In the male genitalia the uncus is simply bifid, the valve is unequally
bilobed, the ventral lobe a narrow spur; the saccus is small as in the
other genera; the aedeagus vesica has a weak cornutus.
The life history of S. cynthia is described and the larva illustrated by
Gardiner (1982: plate XVIII). The eggs are laid in piles. The larvae in
early instars are yellow, changing to paler yellow and finally pale green.
The tubercles are black in early instars but only the lower (subspiracular)
tubercles retain this colour later on. The size of tubercles grades from
the long dorsals through the upper laterals to the short lower laterals,
all these being arranged in a ring on each segment that includes the
spiracle. The body tapers over the thorax and at the caudal end.
The cocoons are suspended on long stalks from the substrate as in the
previous two genera.
The host-plants recorded in Asia (Sevastopulo, 1940; Arora & Gupta,
1979; Yunus & Ho, 1980; Miyata, 1983; CIE records) are as follows:
Rhus (Anacardiaceae); Plumeria (Apocynaceae); Ilex
(Aquifoliaceae);
Heteropanax (Araliaceae); Berberis (Berberidaceae); Canarium
(Burseraceae);
Carica (Caricaceae); Coriaria (Coriariaceae); Corylus
(Corylaceae);
Glochidion, Jatropha, Sapium (Euphorbiaceae) Juglans (Juglandaceae);
Cassia (Leguminosae); Lagerstroemia, Lawsonia (Lythraceae); Althaea
(Malvaceae);
Azadirachta (Meliaceae); Psidium (Myrtaceae); Ligustrum
(Oleaceae);
Trachycarpus (Palmae); Rhamnella, Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae);
Malus, Prunus,
Pyrus (Rosaceae); Euodia, Fagaria, Phellodendron, Zanthoxylum
(Rutaceae);
Salix (Salicaceae); Ailanthus, Picrasma (Simaroubaceae); Euscaphis
(Staphyleaceae);
Apium (Umbelliferae); Clerodendrum (Verbenaceae); Xanthophyllum
(Xanthophyllaceae).
The genus extends to the Philippines and the Moluccas. It is likely that
these more easterly populations will represent distinct species.
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