210 
The Philippine Journal of Science 
1921 
Two species, one of which is confined to India while the other occurs 
from Japan to India and eastward to the Sula Islands, and is also ac- 
climatised in several localities in Europe and North America. 
Jordan describes the larva of Samia cynthia Drury as follows : 
Larva at first yellowish, then white or greenish or bluish green, with 
black dots; the dorsal processes in the later stages about as long as the 
distance between two dorsal processes of the same segment; the processes 
of the different segments almost equal, bluish. Polyphagous, chief food- 
plants: Ailanthus, Ilex, etc.; prefers Syringa in Europe, but also takes 
Prunus, Pirus, Laburnum, and other plants. The cocoon consists of an 
outer layer of loose silk and an inner dense web. The silk, from which a 
very tough cloth is made, cannot be reeled, but is carded and then spun. 
It is coarse and not valuable for export. True cynthia Drury is confined 
to the Malayan districts. On Palearctic territory two forms are found: 
pryeri Butl. (33a) inhabits Japan. . The proximal band of the forewing 
more or less convex posteriorly, without long teeth on the median veins, 
the discal band twice deeply incurved, only faintly reddish outside the white 
line, at least the red line is never sharply defined; on the hindwing the 
discal band is deeply incurved below the half moon. The cocoon is grey 
or yellowish white. The larvae (tscho-san) are found especially on Ilex 
rotunda, 2 Ailanthus glandulosa and Phellodendron amurense. 3 The speci- 
mens from North and Central China, walkeri Fldr., are distinguished from 
pryeri by the discal band of both wings having a sharper outer edge and 
by the long median teeth of the proximal band of the forewing. This 
form goes northward to Manchuria and Corea, and is much kept domesti- 
cated for the sake of its silk, e. g. in the provinces of Shantung and Che- 
kiang. This form was introduced into Europe in 1845 and has been domes- 
ticated in France with some success. In the Northern districts the species 
has only one brood, in the Southern countries several broods in a year. 
The second species of the genus, S. lunula Walk., is likewise easy to breed, 
and crosses between it and S. cynthia are also known. 
Jordan gives the name tscho-san to the larva of pryeri. I 
have never heard this name. “Tscho” is certainly not Japanese 
but may be Chinese and probably refers to walkeri Felder, which 
occurs in China. The imago is known under the Japanese 
names of shinju-san (which name is probably given because the 
larva feeds on shinju), aya-nishiki, and mikazuki, “new moon,” 
referring to the crescent on the wings. 
The larva of Samia pryeri Butler is figured in what I believe 
to be the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth stages (Plate 1, figs.l 
to 5) . A brood of young larvae was taken about September 15, 
1900, at Kobe, Settsu Province, Honshu, on kusagi ( Cleroden - 
dron tricotomum Thunb.), one of which was selected to be 
2 Ilex rotunda, named in Japanese fukura-shiba and kurogane-mochi. 
8 Phellodendron amurense, named in Japanese khvada. 
