DISTRIBUTION:

The Great Peacock Moth, Saturnia pyri (wingspan 87--166mm) is limited to the warmer areas of Europe and the Near East, from northern France south through Luxembourg, western Switzerland, the Iberian Peninsula to coastal regions of Morocco and Algeria. Thence eastwards across southern Germany (rare), Austria, Hungary, the Balkans to the Ukraine. From here it extends southwards across the Caucasus Mountains and Armenia to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Alborz and Zagros Mountains of Iran. It is also found on the Mediterranean islands of Crete, Corsica and Sardinia.

This species is very beautiful. Visit Saturnia pyri courtesy of Kirby Wolfe.

I was surprised to find it as far south as Burkina Faso, Africa, where it is honoured on a postage stamp. It might also be found in Mali and Niger. A cautionary note, however, Burkina Faso also displays the non-indigenous Automeris io on one of its stamps.

A further search found this moth also honoured on a Central Africa Republic stamp so I am not at all sure how far south it ranges. The stamp does not necessary mean the species flies in CAR.

Andre Kairouz of Lebanaon writes redarding S. pyri in Lebanon, "Saturnia pyri is on the wing around end March begining April from sea-level up to 400 ~500m altitutude and from mid April in higher altitude, around 1000m. It's mostly found in almonds cultivated areas where the caterpillars feed. It used to be extremely abundant but now it is becoming (as all wildlife in Lebanon) less abundant."

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

This nocturnal species inhabits open landscapes with scattered trees and shrubs, occurring from sea-level in western Europe to over 2000m altitude in the Levant and Iran. Parkland, orchards and vineyards with shade-trees are particularly favoured.

Depending on latitude and altitude, pyri fly from late March to the beginning of June as a single generation; however, odd individuals are sometimes found in late autumn. In central Europe most are on the wing in mid to late May.

Larvae feed on many trees and shrubs, but with a preference for the Rosaceae, Ericaceae and Oleaceae.

Salvador Soares of Portugal has reared them on a local pear.

Saturnia pyri female, Germany, courtesy of Leroy Simon

ECLOSION, SCENTING, AND MATING:

Most adults emerge in the late morning, with females calling that same night, often from the base of trees up which they have climbed. Pairing takes place just before midnight and lasts for about 22 hours. After separation, the male flies off in search of another mate. If possible, the female climbs to the highest vantage point possible before launching herself clumsily towards the nearest shadow on the horizon which, often as not, is a tree. The reason for this strange behaviour is that most females carry too many eggs at first and are 'bottom-heavy'.

Female Saturnia pyri (underside).

This stop-start process continues until about 30 eggs have been deposited, usually in chains of five to eight on the trees' branches or trunk. The rest of the eggs are laid on the leaves and twigs of suitable hosts. The heavy body of the female is clearly visible to the left. Antennae of the female are not nearly as wide as those of the male.

Photo (male) by Tony Pittaway

Fine development of male antennae is clearly visible here. Many breeders report that siblings of this species will not mate. In other words, this male would not mate with a scenting female whose parents were the same as his.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Eggs are oblong, 2.5 x 2mm, greyish-white with brown gum. They are laid in batches of up to ten on the twigs and underside of leaves, usually hatching 14 to 30 days later. Up to 99% of those laid on the trunks and branches of trees can be parasitized.

The newly-hatched, 5-6mm long larvae consume part of their eggshells and then wander off some distance to find suitable resting sites under a leaf in their characteristic 'U'-shaped positions. Feeding usually consists of eating channels into a leaf.

At this stage they are mainly black, (sometimes dark brown dorsally) with four longitudinal rows of light-brown tubercles.

In the second instar these tubercles become orange and are quite pronounced on a dark chocolate to black body. Larval scans to the right and above are by Kurt Himmelbauer.

By the third instar the body has become pale greenish-blue, the tubercles bright yellow and the head and anal segments brown. Each tubercle bears a long, black hair, those on the dorsal tubercles being clubbed.

From the third instar onwards many larvae exhibit a kind of 'wanderlust', feeding at one spot for about four days before wandering off along the branches to a new location. This may be a survival strategy, for in its latter stages great quantities of foliage are consumed, leaving only conspicuous bare twigs.

Photo courtesy of Kurt himmelbauer.

Fourth instar and fully-grown larvae (90-100 mm)are yellowish-green with raised, sky-blue tubercles, with the latter bearing crowns of sharp, liquid-filled spines in addition to the long hairs. Laterally, there is a broad yellow sub-spiracular band on the abdominal segments.

Prior to pupation, the entire body changes to golden-brown, against which the blue tubercles virtually light up.

Pupae (35--50mm) are cylindrical, but taper towards both ends. They are blackish-brown with sienna highlights. Cocoons are coarse, pear-shaped, double, unsealed greyish-brown and are fixed lengthways to the substrate. These are preferentially spun at the base of the hostplant amongst grass growing up to the bark. Bare ground prompts larvae to wander off to find a site on rocks, amongst fallen branches, fence-posts, walls etc. However, a few cocoons can be found high in trees.

Larvae will usually spin up at the base of sleeves when raised outdoors in captivity. Many pupae overwinter two or more times, particularly if the springs are cold. Some people have reported that misting of cocoons is required to trigger eclosions, but others report no misting is required.

PARASITOIDS:

Tachinidae: Compsilura concinnata, Exorista grandis, Masicera pavoniae, Masicera sphingivora, Winthemia rufiventris; Pteromalidae: Pteromalus communis.

Listed below are preferred and alternate food plants listed in Stephen E. Stone's Foodplants of World Saturniidae and from personal communication. It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Larval Food Plants

Acer pseudoplatanus Aesculus hippocastanum.... Alnus glutinosa Betula Castanea Cydonia Fraxinus excelsior Humulus Juglans regia Ligustrum Olea europaea Platanus Populus Prunus amygdalus Prunus armeniaca Prunus pennsylvanica Pyrus bourgeana Pyrus communis Pyrus malus Salix Tilia Ulmus campestris

Sycamore maple European horsechestnut European black alder Birch Chestnut Quince European ash Hops English walnut Privet Common olive Sycamore Poplar Almond tree Apricot Pin cherry Portuguese pear (SS) Pear Apple Willow Basswood/Lime/Linden English elm

Below are some additional larval images courtesy of Leroy Simon:

Saturnia pyri fifth instar, France, courtesy of Leroy Simon

This moth has also been classified as follows:

major Linnaeus, 1758.
pavoniella Gmelin, 1788.
junonia Schaw, 1806.
invittata Schultz, 1909.
subdiaphana Schultz, 1909.
fulvescens Schultz, 1909.
aigneri Pillich, 1909.
alticola Denso, 1912.
kollari Gschwandner, 1919.
macropis Gschwandner, 1919.
latifascia Gschwandner, 1919.
attingens Gschwandner, 1919.
reducta Gschwandner, 1923.
melanopis Gschwandner, 1923.
abeli Gschwandner, 1923.
conjuncta Gschwandner, 1923.
brunnea Gschwandner, 1923.
defascia Gschwandner, 1923.
grisea Gschwandner, 1923.
umbrosa Amiot, 1929.
atrorubens Durand, 1932.
roseofasciata Sageder, 1933.
v-solstitii De Henry, 1939.
ilvana Tauber, 1969.
teherana Lének, [1971].
pinkerae Kobes, 1980.

Visit additional Saturnia pyri images:

Saturnia pyri male and larva

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