Chinese Oak Silk Moth vs Small Magpie Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Chinese Oak Silk Moth Small Magpie Moth
Scientific Name Antheraea pernyi Anania hortulata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Saturniidae Crambidae
Size 110-150 mm wingspan 26-30 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Underground
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions China, introduced to parts of Europe Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Chinese Oak Silk Moth

A large tawny-brown silk moth with prominent translucent eyespots on each wing. It has been cultivated for thousands of years to produce tussah silk.

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Did You Know?

It is the second most important silk-producing insect after the domestic silkworm, producing a durable golden-brown silk.

Small Magpie Moth

A pretty white moth with black spots and a yellow head. Despite its name, it is a crambid rather than a geometrid like the true Magpie Moth.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillar lives inside a rolled leaf shelter that it spins shut with silk.