Automeris draudtiana female, Mexico,
courtesy of Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter; First Place Photo, Adult moth, 2018
Dirphiabrevifurca final instar,
Pasco, Peru, courtesy of Tony Kasiske; First Place Photo, Larva, 2018
The website is designed and maintained by Bill Oehlke who can be reached at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Voluntary Dues: Support expansion/development of WLSS through voluntary dues. Click on link to left for an explanation.
The site represents literally tens of thousand of hours of work and is supported by reference books and journals, costing over $2,000.00
I can still remember, as a boy, going through Holland's Moth Book, trying to learn all I could about the local Saturniidae and Sphingidae in rural New Jersey.
This work is intended to serve as a reference for all those who share a similar passion for the Saturniidae. Every effort is made to help members identify the moths they have purchased or collected or photographed, etc, and every effort is made to help those who wish to try rearing either from the egg, caterpillar, cocoon or adult stage.
It is strongly recommended that visitors read the numerous articles written by myself in the Bill's Articles section, and all the articles written by members in the Members' Articles section.
Additional links will be added shortly.
Thanks to Eric C. Olson for suggesting a more prominent location for the newsletter link.You can keep abreast of what is new on the WLSS by consulting the "Mothly Newsletter".
New additons to the site will be documented there. Egg pricelists are available in appropriate newsletters through spring and summer. Cocoon
and pupae pricelists are available in fall and winter newsletters. The newsletters often get updated a couple of times each week.
There are now too many members to do individual mailouts, so check out the newsletter to find out what's happening!
Clicking on a country name will take you to an active checklist (i.e., links to species files from that country). For the United States, Canada, Mexico and most of South America, there also are state, province, department active checklists (i.e., checklists one administrative unit below national level) linked from the country file. If you know a precise location for your specimen, the checklists one adminstrative unit below nation level can be a great help in doing id work.
Rather than access the Asian Pacific species via the links below, please use the links from the Asian Pacific Saturniidae Directory.
Rather than access the South American species via the links below, please use the links from the South American Saturniidae Directory.
AGLIINAE: AGLIA OF EUROPE
ARSENURINAE: PRIMITIVE AND VERY LARGE MOTHS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, EARTH PUPATORS
CERATOCAMPINAE: REGAL AND IMPERIAL MOTHS OF THE AMERICAS, EARTH PUPATORS,
HEMILEUCINAE: SMALL TO MEDIUM SIZED MOTHS OF AMERICAS, SPINY LARVAE
MICRAGONINI: AFRICAN MOTHS
CERCOPHANIDAE: CHILEAN MOTHS
OXYTENINAE: SMALL MOTHS FROM CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
SALASSINAE: SALASSA
SATURNIINAE: Tribe Attacini: "Forewing Apex Eyespot", worldwide, cocoons
SATURNIINAE: Tribe Bunaeini: Emperor moths of Africa, earth pupators
SATURNIINAE: Tribe Saturniini: worldwide, cocoons
SATURNIINAE: Tribe Urotini: Emperor moths of Africa, earth pupators
Clicking on one of the genera names will take you to a page listing known species within the genus. Subsequent clicking on a species name will take you to another page with pictures and information, including natural ranges, larval host plants, flight times and brood seasons,etc.
Visit Saturniidae hybrids