Importance To Humans
A few species are important defoliator pests, including the Orange-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota senatoria) on oaks, the Pandora Pinemoth (Coloradia pandora) on pines and Hemileuca oliviae on range grasses.
Other species are of major commercial importance in tussah and wild silk production. These notably include the Chinese Tussah Moth (Antheraea pernyi), its hybridogenic descendant Antheraea × proylei, and the Ailanthus Silkmoth (Samia cynthia).
Caterpillars of the genus Lonomia produce possibly the most deadly toxin of any known animal.
Most Saturniidae are harmless animals at least as adults, and in many cases at all stages of their life. Thus, some of the more spectacular species – in particular Antheraea – can be raised by children or school classes as educational pets. The soft, silken cocoons make an interesting keepsake for pupils.
Read more about this topic: Saturniidae
Famous quotes containing the words importance to, importance and/or humans:
“Whoever deliberately attempts to insure confidentiality with another person is usually in doubt as to whether he inspires that person’s confidence in him. One who is sure that he inspires confidence attaches little importance to confidentiality.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“For even satire is a form of sympathy. It is the way our sympathy flows and recoils that really determines our lives. And here lies the vast importance of the novel, properly handled. It can inform and lead into new places our sympathy away in recoil from things gone dead. Therefore the novel, properly handled, can reveal the most secret places of life: for it is the passional secret places of life, above all, that the tide of sensitive awareness needs to ebb and flow, cleansing and freshening.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“All humans have a heart that can tell right from wrong.”
—Chinese proverb.
Mencius.