DISTRIBUTION:

The Indian Silk Moth, Saturnia pyretorum (wingspan: males 72mm; females: 80-97mm) flies in Taiwan, northern Vietnam and southern China: Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, (SN); Shaanxi (VS).

Roger Kendrick reports them in Hong Kong and writes May 15, 2007, "Saturnia pyretorum larvae are already in 5th larval instar - over three weeks ahead of recent years; adults were on the wing in early January, also up to a month ahead of recent "norms" - maybe a sign of increasingly rapid global climate change (warming) from this univoltine species?"

Visit Saturnia pyretorum male and female, Shaanxi, TsingLing Mts, Tai Bai Shan, China, courtesy of Viktor Sinyaev.

Visit Saturnia (Eriogyna) pyretorum female, Taiwan, courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

It is quite difficult to distinguish this species from the slightly smaller S. cognata where the ranges overlap in Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan. S. cognata is a winter flier with quite falcate forewings, strongly pointed markings and a slim outer margin.

Saturnia pyretorum female, February 28, 2009, courtesy of Mark Lasko.

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are within the range of S. pyretorum, but I have no confirmed reports, and Stefan Naumann does not list it beyond the three countries listed above.

It is also reported in the Russian Far East ?? and in the Koreas ??, but I suspect the moth that flies there is more probably Saturnia cognata.

Eriogyna is frequently given as the species name for this moth, but Naumann (1994) synonymized that name with Saturnia.

Saturnia pyretorum Fujian, China. courtesy of Jiri Zabokrtsky, tentative id by Stefan Naumann.
Ric Peigler thinks the moth depicted above may be S. cognata.

Visit Saturnia Comparison Chart for the (Eriogyna) group.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Moths are on the wing in January-February as a single brood.

The image below from Hainan, China, taken in November 2008 is a bit of a surprise.

Saturnia pyretorum male, Hainan, China, November 2008, courtesy of Weiwei Zhang.

Larvae feed upon Liquidambar formosana and Psidium guajava.

Saturnia pyretorum female, courtesy/copyright Darrell Gulin.

Saturnia pyretorum female, courtesy/copyright Darrell Gulin.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females extend a scent gland from the tip of their abdomens to "call" the males. Males use their antennae to hone in on the airbourne pheromone.

David Mohn reports two pairings where the moths remained in copula for twenty-four hours.

Saturnia pyretorum female, courtesy of Ulrich Paukstadt.

Saturnia cognata male, China, courtesy of Teemu Klemetti.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Females deposit almost all eggs in large clusters within the first two nights of egg laying (David Mohn).

Saturnia pyretorum second instars on sweetgum, courtesy of Mark Lasko.

Mark Lasko writes, "Funny thing though... While I only observed ONE pyretorum mating, darn good thing I saved all the eggs --- most of them hatched! Apparently they successfully mate either very quickly like ios and caletta, or can take their time and hang together for the day like most Sats. Learn something new every day..."

David Mohn writes, "After investigating some old cocoons where the moth had eclosed but left the pupal shell, I found that the length of the cocoon varied from about 4 to 6 cm, with the larger ones being female. By comparison, the pupal shells measured about 2.5 to 4 cm for a roughly 2/3 ratio."

David adds, "FYI, the big female that had been light trapped about Feb. 11-12th had her ova begin hatching today, Feb 28th. Got 5 so far with many ova left over. That means all those I put back on the cocoon tree should be hatching soon!

"For comparison, the ova I had back on Feb 21, 2001 began to hatch on March 5."

Normal incubation time (indoors) appears to be 12-15 days from ovipositing date to emerging date. Cooler outdoor weather could prolong incubation.

Saturnia pyretorum eggs, courtesy of David L. Mohn, Tai Wo, Hong Kong.

Saturnia pyretorum first instars, courtesy of David L. Mohn, Tai Wo, Hong Kong.

Saturnia pyretorum fifth instar, courtesy of David L. Mohn, Hong Kong.

David L. Mohn reports that Saturnia pyretorum is common in Hong Kong.

Visit Saturnia (Eriogyna) pyretorum first instar set, and fifth instar. David L. Mohn is currently (March 2009) rearing this species in Hong Kong, and we hope to be able to display all instars shortly. A series of first instar images, hatchling to pre molt (one week old) images is available.

Jurgen Vanhoudt reports success rearing larvae from Taiwan on Liquidambar.

Saturnia pyretorum third instar on Liquidambar, Taiwan
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Saturnia pyretorum fourth instar, courtesy of Gary Saunders.

Saturnia pyretorum, fifth instar, Beijing (possibly S. cognata)

Saturnia pyretorum, fifth instar, Beijing (possibly S. cognata)

Saturnia pyretorum fifth instar on Liquidambar, Taiwan,
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Saturnia pyretorum fifth instar on Liquidambar, Taiwan
courtesy of Jurgen Vanhoudt.

Saturnia pyretorum cocoon cluster, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong, courtesy of David L. Mohn, via Mark Lasko.

Larval Food Plants

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.

Cinnamomum camphora ....... Crataegus Eriobotyra japonica Liquidambar formosana Psidium guajava Pterocarya stenoptera Pyrus pyrifolia Rosa multifolia Ulmus pumila

Camphor Hawthorn Loquat Formosan gum Common guava Chinese wing nut Oriental pear Rose Dwarf/Siberian elm

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Return to Eriogyna Genus

Return to Saturnia Genus

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

"Saturnia" is derived from the Latin Saturn. In Roman mythology, Saturn was a god of fertility and agriculture. He was commonly identified with the Greek god Cronus (Kronos), and there is an interesting story that explains how Cronus was transformed into Saturn.

The species name, pyretorum, may refer to the sharply pointed "teeth" of the pm line, looking like fire flame tips, but that is just a guess.

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