Phylogeny and divergence time estimation of Io moths and relatives (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae: ).

The saturniid moth genus includes 145 described species. Their geographic distribution ranges from the eastern half of North America to as far south as Peru. s moths are cryptically colored, with forewings that resemble dead leaves, and conspicuously colored, elaborate eyespots hidden on their hindwings. Despite their charismatic nature, the evolutionary history and relationships within and between closely related genera, remain poorly understood. In this study, we present the most comprehensive phylogeny of to date, including 80 of the 145 described species. We also incorporate two morphologically similar hemileucine genera, and , as well as a morphologically distinct genus, . We obtained DNA data from both dry-pinned and ethanol-stored museum specimens and conducted Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) sequencing to assemble a high-quality dataset for phylogenetic analysis. The resulting phylogeny supports as a paraphyletic genus, with and nested within, with the most recent common ancestor dating back to 21 mya. This study lays the foundation for future research on various aspects of biology, including geographical distribution patterns, potential drivers of speciation, and ecological adaptations such as antipredator defense mechanisms.