Samia canningi (Hutton, 1859)

Wu, Yujie, Peigler, Richard S. & Liu, Zhengyang, 2025, Ecological observations on the genus Samia Hübner, 1819 (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae) of China, especially the natural hostplants, Nota Lepidopterologica 48, pp. 251-268 : 251-268

5. Samia canningi (Hutton, 1859)

Fig. 2 C, D

Material examined.

YUNNAN: ( OD): About 10 mature larvae; Zanthoxylum sp. ; south Ninger County of Pu’er, ca. 1400 m; 27 June 2007. ( OI): About fourteen mature larvae; unidentified species of Euphorbiaceae ; Xishuangbanna; 06 November 2023. ( OD): A mature larva (Fig. 3 M ); Zanthoxylum sp. ; Wild Elephant Valley, Xishuangbanna, ca. 800 m, 18 December 2023.

Notes.

Known as the wild eri silkworm / silkmoth, and recently confirmed as the wild progenitor of S. ricini through morphological ( Peigler and Naumann 2003: 123), breeding (e. g., Brahma et al. 2015), and genomic (e. g., Huang et al. 2022) evidences. Both taxa are polyphagous. Even though biologically these are the same species and the name S. canningi is junior to S. ricini ( Peigler & Calhoun, 2013) , Peigler and Luikham (2013) proposed that the name canningi should be preserved and added to the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology, for continuing to be used when referring to the wild eri form; this request was finally approved by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 2016). S. canningi is mostly a Himalayan flyer but its Chinese core population appears on the southwest border including both southwestern Yunnan and southeastern Tibet ( Peigler and Naumann 2003: 119), and Wu (2017: 134) has figured feral mature larvae from China. Adults of S. canningi have a richer golden hue compared to other Samia spp. and are visually high-saturated in colours. There are five larval instars under normal state and the mature larvae are green or yellow-greenish grounded, with relatively larger black patches than S. cynthia , S. wangi and S. kohlli . The precise voltinism in Chinese habitats remains undocumented; however, the occurrence of mature larvae observed in Yunnan during both summer and winter, supplemented by specimens from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan and Mêdog, Tibet reared by us in 2025, suggests the likelihood of at least two generations per year. Like most Samia , this species usually spins peduncled bright to grayish brown cocoons on hostplants. There are currently no reports on the use of this species for sericulture in China.

Figures

Figure 2. Adults of Samia spp. of China, dorsal views. A. S. ricini ♂, Longzhou County, Chongzuo, Guangxi, ca. 130 m, July 2023; B. S. ricini ♀, Longzhou County, Chongzuo, Guangxi, ca. 130 m, July 2023; C. S. canningi ♂, Menglun Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, ca. 650 m, May to November 2022; D. S. canningi ♀, Menglun Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, ca. 650 m, May to November 2022; E. S. watsoni ♂, Nibashan, Yingjing County, Ya’an, Sichuan, ca. 3200 m, 08 June 2023; F. S. watsoni ♀, Nibashan, Yingjing County, Ya’an, Sichuan, ca. 3200 m, 08 June 2023. Scale bar: 3 cm.

Figure 3. Preimaginal materials of Samia spp. of China. A – I, K – M, P. Individuals photographed in the wild. N, O, Q. Captive individuals. A. Ova of S. wangi on leaf underside of Styrax sp., Hangzhou; B. Ovum shells of S. kohlli on leaf underside of Z. armatum, Kunming; C. Ovum shells of S. watsoni on leaf upperside of P. corymbosus, Hangzhou; D. Ovum shells of S. watsoni on leaf upperside of S. gemmata, Hangzhou; E. Larval cluster of S. wangi L 3, dorsal view, on leaf underside of H. acerba, Hangzhou; F. Larval cluster of S. kohlli L 2 (pre-ecdysis), dorsal view, on leaf underside of Z. armatum, Kunming; G. S. watsoni L 2, dorsal view, on leaf underside of P. corymbosus, Hangzhou; H. S. kohlli L 3, dorsal view, on the leaf underside of C. nepalensis, Kunming; I. S. watsoni L 4, dorsolateral view, on leaf underside of P. corymbosus, Hangzhou; J. S. cynthia L 5 (mature), dorsolateral view, on C. officinarum; K. S. wangi L 5 (mature), lateral view, on S. japonica, Hangzhou; L. S. kohlli L 5 (mature), lateral view, on C. nepalensis, Kunming; M. S. canningi L 5 (mature), lateral view, on Zanthoxylum sp., Xishuangbanna; N. S. ricini L 5 (mature), lateral view, on C. nepalensis; O. S. watsoni L 5 (mature), lateral view, on P. corymbosus; P. Cocoon of S. wangi, on C. officinarum, Shanghai; Q. Cocoon of S. watsoni, on P. corymbosus.