Bombycoidea is a
superfamily of
moths, including the
silk moths,
giant silk moths,
sphinx moths,
saturniids, and relatives. The superfamily
Lasiocampoidea is a close relative and was historically sometimes merged in this group. After many years of debate and shifting taxonomies, the most recent classifications treat the superfamily as containing 10 constituent families.[4]
Characteristics
Bombycoid larvae often exhibit horns.[5] In the adult stage they are typically large, and include the largest moths in the world.
^Kitching I, Rougerie R, Zwick A, Hamilton C, St Laurent R, Naumann S, Ballesteros Mejia L, Kawahara A (2018) A global checklist of the Bombycoidea (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Biodiversity Data Journal 6: e22236.
https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.6.e22236
^Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole,
ISBN1-55297-612-2, 2002