Saturniidae : Saturniinae
Emperor Moth
SATURNIA (Eudia) pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Emperor Moth
SATURNIA (Eudia) pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: Male - 40-55mm Female - 50-65mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe - excluding Southern Europe - ( Azores,Balearic Is.,Bulgaria,Canary Is.,Corsica - doubtful,Crete,Croatia,Cyprus,Greece,Hungary, Italy,Madeira,Malta,Romania,Sicily,Sardinia - Doubtful & Slovenia) - east to western Russia - Alps & southern France replaced by Saturnia (Eudia) pavoniella (Scopoli 1763)
UK Distribution: Common over much of Great Britain
UK Conservation Status -
- Common = > 300 10km squares
- Least Concern
- Phalaena pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Bombyx pyri Schiffermüller, 1775
- Europe
Habitat: Heathland : Marshes : Bogs : Woodland Rides : Sand-dunes
Similar Species -
- Saturnia (Eudia) pavoniella (Scopoli 1763) - southern Europe to Balkans only
Pupa: The pupa overwinters in a tough ginger coloured cocoons which are often found high on heather.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: The Emperor Moth is a very special species not only from being the only moth in the Saturniidae family,and its enormous size but from the spectacular markings and colouration making it an unmistakable moth. It is also thankfully a fairly common moth being quite well spread across Great Britain. Specimens seen in the northern sites are generally more intensely coloured,with a bluish female seen on occasions.
A rare form of this moth is S.p.f.obsoleta Tutt, 1902 which has no eye spots.
Males can be attracted using a produced pheromone usually recommended use in mid to late afternoon, and although these male moths never stop flying by this method it is fascinating to see the beautiful bright orange hindwing,the speed of flight, and to observe how quick they pick up the pheromone even when moved from plant to plant.
Male and female antennae are pectinate but in the case of the female only a short way along the length.
Photo Gallery
Ova
Larva
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Betulaceae - The Birch Family
- Alnus glutinosa - Alder
- Alnus incana - Grey Alder
- Betula nana - Dwarf Birch
- Betula pendula - Silver Birch
- Betula pubescens - Downy Birch
- Carpinus betulus - Hornbeam
- Corylus avellana - Hazel
- Caprifoliaceae - Honeysuckle Family
- Sambucus nigra - Elderberry
- Elaeagnaceae - Oleaster Family
- Hippophae rhamnoides - Sea Buckthorn
- Ericaceae - Heather Family
- Arbutus unedo - Strawberry Tree
- Calluna vulgaris - Common Heather - Ling
- Erica cinerea - Bell Heather - Heather Bell
- Vaccinium myrtilus - Bilberry - Blue Whortleberry
- Vaccinium uliginosum - Bog Bilberry - Northern Bilberry
- Fagaceae - Oak - Chestnut - Beech Family
- Quercus robur - Pedunculate Oak - Common Oak
- Juglandaceae - Walnut Family
- Juglans regia - Walnut
- Lythraceae - Loosestrife Family
- Lythrum salicaria - Purple Loosestrife
- Myricaceae - Wax-myrtle Family
- Myrica gale - Bog Myrtle
- Pistaciaceae - Cashew or Sumac Family
- Pistacia terebinthus - Terebinth
- Schinus terebinthifolius - Brazillian Peppertree
- Polygonaceae - Docks - Sorrels - Knotweeds - Smartweeds
- Polygonum bistorta - Commom Bistort
- Rhamnaceae - The Buckthorn Family
- Rhamnus cathartica - Common Buckthorn
- Rhamnus frangula - Alder Buckthorn
- Rosaceae - Rose Family
- Crataegus monogyna - Hawthorn
- Dryas octopetala - Mountain Avens
- Filipendula ulmaria - Meadowsweet
- Fragaria x ananassa - Strawberry
- Malus pumila - Paradise Apple
- Malus sylvestris - Crab Apple
- Potentilla erecta - Common Tormentil
- Potentilla palustris - Marsh Cinquefoil
- Prunus domestica - Bullace - Plum
- Prunus serotina - Rum Cherry-Wild Cherry
- Prunus spinosa - Blackthorn - Sloe(Britain)
- Prunus virginiana - Chokecherry
- Pyrus communis - Wild Pear
- Rosa majalis - Cinnamon Rose
- Rubus chamaemorus - Cloudberry
- Rubus fruticosus - Bramble - Blackberry
- Rubus idaeus - Raspberry - Framboise
- Rubus plicatus - Folded Blackberry
- Sanguisorba officinalis - Great Burnet
- Sanguisorba minor - Salad Burnet
- Sorbus aucuparia - Mountain Ash - Rowan
- Spiraea alba - White Meadowsweet
- Salicaceae - Willow Family
- Populus tremula - Aspen Poplar
- Salix aurita - Eared Sallow
- Salix babylonica - Weeping Willow
- Salix bebbiana - Beak - Bebb Willow
- Salix caprea - Goat Willow
- Salix phylicifolia - Tealeaf Willow
- Salix viminalis - Osier
- Ulmaceae - Elm Family
- Ulmus procera - English Elm - Common Elm
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum: Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily: Tribe: Genus: Subgenus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species - SATURNIA Original Species Name: Species Names: Nominotypical Subspecies: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Subspecies: Forms: Similar Species : |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Bombycoidea Saturniidae Saturniinae Saturniini SATURNIA Schrank, 1802 Eudia Seitz, 1911 Saturnia (Eudia) pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758) - Bombyx pyri Schiffermüller, 1775 - PHALAENA pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758) = Eudia pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758) = Phalaena pavonia Linnaeus, 1758 = minor Linnaeus, 1758 = Bombyx carpini Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 = alpina Favre, 1897 = borealis Rangnow, 1935 = lapponica Lingonblad, 1936 = lappmarchica Bryk, 1948 - Phalaena pavonia pavonia (Linnaeus, 1758) - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.496 - n.6 - Europe - S.p. josephinae (Schawerda 1924) - hindwings slightly tinged with fawn - Southern Spain S.p.pavonia (LInnaeus, 1758) - Nominate Subsecies - S.p.f.rosacea Newham, 1891 - suffused with pink in part normally white S.p.f.alpina Favre, 1897 - Lapland & Alps - smaller scales S.p.f.obsoleta Tutt, 1902 - no eye spots - Saturnia (Eudia) pavoniella (Scopoli 1763) - southern Europe to Balkans only.Not to be confused with above. |