Japanese Silk Moth vs Dusky Birch Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Japanese Silk Moth Dusky Birch Sawfly
Scientific Name Antheraea yamamai Croesus latitarsus
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Saturniidae Tenthredinidae
Size Wingspan 110-150 mm 8-10 mm
Habitat Indoors Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Japan, Korea, China North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Japanese Silk Moth

A large wild silk moth native to Japan with striking yellow-brown wings bearing prominent eyespots. Its silk was historically used to produce high-quality tensan fabric.

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Did You Know?

Its silk, called tensan, is naturally green-tinged and was reserved for Japanese imperial garments.

Dusky Birch Sawfly

A medium-sized sawfly with an orange abdomen and black head and thorax. Larvae are yellowish-green with dark spots and feed in rows along the edges of birch leaves.

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Did You Know?

The larvae feed in a distinctive edge-to-edge pattern, consuming the leaf blade while leaving the midrib intact like a fishbone.