Antheraea castanea Jordan, 1910, the neglected 'pseudomuga' silkmoth (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae)

By

Liu, Zhengyang
Hu, Changxiong
He, Muyang

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-11-4

Original Publication

Deutsche entomologische Zeitschrift

Volume

72

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

303--315

Subjects

Antheraeopsis , complete mitochondrial genome , India , Lauraceae , life history , Morphology , muga , Phylogeny , Sericulture , Tibet , wild silkmoth , Yunnan , Zoogeography

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Berlin Nicolai'sche Verlags-Buchandlung 1881-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.72.151952

 

Abstract

<br> This study reports the first complete life history of<br> Antheraea castanea<br> Jordan, 1910. Samples collected from the southeastern borders of Yunnan and Tibet were reared on specific species within the family Lauraceae, confirming that<br> A. castanea<br> is univoltine in captivity. The complete mitochondrial genome sequences of<br> A. castanea<br> and<br> Antheraea youngi<br> Watson, 1915, both belonging to the subgenus Antheraeopsis Wood-Mason, 1886, are provided. Genomic and morphological evidence demonstrates that<br> A. castanea<br> is the sister group to all other<br> Antheraeopsis<br> spp. This finding strongly supports the hypothesis that this subgenus originated in the southeastern regions of the Himalayas, making<br> A. castanea<br> a key taxon for understanding the evolutionary history of the genus<br> Antheraea<br> Hübner, 1819. Given its long-standing neglect in sericulture, we recommend increased attention to<br> A. castanea<br> in future studies—particularly to prevent misidentification with the muga silkmoth,<br> Antheraea assamensis<br> (Helfer, 1837), which shares similar habitats.<br>