DISTRIBUTION:

The Samia cynthia moth has a very limited range in the United States: southeastern New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Originally from Asia (eastern and northern China), this moth ranges throughout southern Asia: China, India, Malaysia, Indochina, Japan, Philippines.

Samia cynthia (female), courtesy of Eric van Schayck; id by Stefan Naumann.

Samia cynthia (female), courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

Samia cynthia female, Vienna, courtesy of Leroy Simon

The species was imported to France (populations still survive), Italy, Switzerland, Austria, etc., and then to Great Britain, and thence to U.S. in an effort to develop a silk industry.

The native hostplant, Ailanthus altissima, was also imported at the same time.

In the United States, this species is often called by one of its earlier names: Samia cynthia advena Watson 1912. Still older texts list it as Philosamia cynthia.

The olive green ground colour serves to distinguish this species.

Samia cynthia (male), courtesy of Eric van Schayck; id by Stefan Naumann.

Samia cynthia male, China, courtesy of Eric van Schayck,
id by Bill Oehlke

FLIGHT TIMES:

This species is primarily univoltine in the United States. Moths fly from late June to early July (mid to late July in Connecticut) and eclosions seem to coincide with heat waves. These insects are not overly attracted to lights, but cocoons are readily found, after leaf drop, hanging by strong peduncles from ailanthus branches. Thus the collector can get specimens and/or breeding stock.

S. cynthia populations in the United States now (2004) appear greatly reduced, and the species may only exist in isolated in southeastern Connecticut where constant reseeding has maintained its viabiity.

ECLOSION:

The moth emerges in the morning through the valve at the base of the peduncle at the top of a long, slender cocoon. Larvae fed on pin cherry spin a reddish brown silk as opposed to the silvery tan silk (picture to left) of those fed on ailanthus. As with all Saturniidae, the moth must "hang itself" so that its wings can inflate properly. This species likes heat and adults will usually emerge from cocoons during a heat wave. Photo by Dan MacKinnon for Bill Oehlke.

SCENTING AND MATING:

These moths mate readily in captivity, even in small (one cubic foot) cages usually on the evening of eclosion. After dusk the female extends a scent gland from her abdomen. The wind blown pheromone can attract males from several miles away. Mating occurs when the male grasps the scent gland between his claspers. The pair usually stays coupled until the following evening.

It is more difficult to sex adult cynthias than it is to sex most other Saturniidae. Wing shape and colouration is almost identical for both genders and antennae structures are very similar. The abdomen of the female is plump and rounded while the narrow abdomen of the male is more conical. The plump abdomen of the female and slightly less falcate wings are evident in the photo below (courtesy of Tony Pittaway).

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Reuben Judd writes, "By the way, I learned something the past few weeks that is useful for myself and other deep-south members; a larval host which is not on many/any of the lists on your site is Cinnamomum camphorum. It is very useful with at least S. cynthia (we don't have ailanthus in Florida, thank goodness, and so far they won't eat anything else but Liquidambar even though I would have expected them to eat one of the many Prunus sp. we have here. Camphor is a nasty invasive here, which means ample supply and no guilt about stripping an entire tree to feed larvae) and some of the other foreign origin moths, like A. mylitta. I expect many others would eat it as well, but at the minimum it is useful to note that these otherwise difficult-for-southerners species will happily accept it."

Samia cynthia first instar larvae, courtesy of Alex Baranowsky.

Eggs are small (as many as 400 from a single female) and white and are usually laid in short rows. Incubation is eight to twelve days, and the newly emerged larvae are gregarious for the first two instars. They appear striped about the girth much like promethea larvae due to tiny black protuberances. Two-day old larvae congregate on ailanthus leaf to the right. Normally larvae would be on underside of leaf.

Larvae are still gregarious in the second instar and have relatively small black heads and a dull, off-white body adorned with some small black tufts.

In the third and fourth instars larvae are creamy white with yellow heads and legs.

Photo courtesy of Mark Lasko.

The larvae begin to look much more like atlas larvae, pale blue-green and covered with a fine white powder, in the final instar. There are fleshy protuberances along the back and sides. The long slender, silvery-tan, valved cocoon is often wrapped in a leaf with the leaf stem enclosed in a strong silk peduncle, allowing the cocoon to hang from the tree all winter.

The prefered foodplant of Samia cynthia is Ailanthus altissima, but I have reared larvae through to cocoon stage on Prunus pensylvanica.

Samia cynthia third instar, Vienna, courtesy of Leroy Simon

Samia cynthia third instar, focus stacking, courtesy of Rod Millar.

Samia cynthia fourth instar, courtesy of Alex Baranowski.

Samia cynthia fifth instar, Vienna, courtesy of Leroy Simon

Stephen E. Stone lists the following food plants in his book, "Foodplants of World Saturniidae":

Ailanthus altissima Althaea rosa Apium graveolens Azadirachta indica Berberis Carica papaya Carpinus betulus Cassia fistula Cinnamomum camphorum RJ Coriaria nepalensis Cornus. Euodia fraxinifolia Firmiana simplex Forsythia Fraxinus Gmelina arborea Heteropanax fragrans Ilex chinensis Jatropha curcas Juglans cinerea Juglans regia Lagerstroemia indica Lawsonia alba Ligustrum Lindera benzoin Liquidambar styraciflua Liriodendron tulipifera Manihot ultissima Michelia figo Platanus occidentalis Plumaria acuminata Prunus serotina Pyrus malus Rhus typhina Ricinus communis Salix Sassafras albidum Syringa vulgaris Tilia Zanthoxylum acanthopodium..... Zanthoxylum hostile Zanthopodium alatum Zizaphus jujuba

Chinese Tree of Heaven Hollyhock Celery Persian lilac Barberry Pawpaw European hornbeam Indian laburnum Camphor Tanner's tree Dogwood Poyam Chinese parasol tree Golden-bells Ash Gomari Keseru Kashi holly Barbados nut Butternut English walnut Crapemyrtle Indian privet Privet Spicebush Sweetgum Tuliptree/White poplar Cassava/Tapioca plant Banana shrub Sycamore Temple tree Wild black cherry Apple Staghorn sumac Castor-oil bean Willow Sassafra Common lilac Basswood/Lime/Linden Ash Zanthoxylum Zanthopodium Zizaphus jujuba

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