DISTRIBUTION:

Saturnia pavonia josephinae (wingspan: males: 40-65mm; females 48-90mm), flies in southern Spain, showing a preference for pine-barrens along coasts. Type locality: Chiclana, Andalucia, southern Spain. Possibly this subspecies also flies in northern Africa.

Attempts to breed this moth with nominate Saturnia pavonia have yielded hybrid adults that are not sexually viable (TP), so this moth is now given its own species status as Saturnia josephinae.

The females are much larger than the males, and in this species moths are paler than subspecies pavonia, with the males lacking almost all brown and orange pigmentation so that they appear whitish-grey. The females are more like those of subsp. pavonia.

Saturnia josephinae male, courtesy of Tony Pittaway.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

When spring is early, pavonia josephinae will be on the wing from late March to late April.

Males are diurnal and females are nocturnal.

Larvae show a preference for species of shrubby rock-rose (Cistus).

ECLOSION, SCENTING, AND MATING:

Females emerge in the morning and extend a scent gland from the base of the abdomen to "call" in the more colorful males. Females continue scenting until near noon or until mating.

Many breeders are able to locate females by following the day-flying males to the source of attraction.

Females remain coupled with males until nightfall when they seperate, begin flight, and deposit their eggs.

Saturnia josephinae female, courtesy of Yo Greko.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Grayish with olive-brown gum, medium-sized (1.4 x 2.2mm) eggs are deposited in neat clusters on the undersides of foodplant leaves (more often affixed to twigs). Incubation lasts 10-14 days.

When the black, spiny larvae (2-3 mm) first emerge, they devour a portion of their eggshells before clustering. There is an orange line down each side.

As the larvae progress they begin to live more individual lives and change colour from black to yellow.Tufts of black spines emanate from raised protuberances on the body. In the final instar (67-88 mm) larvae are predominantly green but there can be varying degrees of black pigmentation with some larvae being almost completely black.

Saturnia josephinae eggs on Halimium halimifolium
Almonte, Huelva Province, Spain, January 20, 2018, courtesy of Carlos Antonetty.

Saturnia josephinae eggs and hatchlings on Halimium halimifolium
Almonte, Huelva Province, Spain, February 19, 2014, courtesy of Carlos Antonetty.

Saturnia josephinae final instar on Halimium halimifolium
Palomares de Rio, Spain, courtesy of Yo Greko.

Saturnia josephinae final instar on Halimium halimifolium
Palomares de Rio, Spain, courtesy of Yo Greko.

Saturnia josephinae fifth instar on Halimium halimifolium
Almonte, Huelva Province, Spain, April 4, 2011, courtesy of Carlos Antonetty.

Saturnia josephinae fifth instar on Halimium halimifolium
Almonte, Huelva Province, Spain, April 17, 2017, courtesy of Carlos Antonetty.

Saturnia josephinae fifth instar on Halimium halimifolium
Almonte, Huelva Province, Spain, April 4, 2011, courtesy of Carlos Antonetty.

Carlos Antonetty has had success rearing this species on Halimium halimifolium; German common name: Gelbe Zistrose. The plant is also known as rock rose.

Halimium halimifolium by Pancrat,
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0; commons.wikimedia.org

Sturdy, coarse, thin-walled, pear-shaped, double, unsealed brown valved cocoons are spun up among tree leaves. Pupae (20-25 mm)sometimes remain in diapause through two winters. The pupae are dark brown to black, noticeably dorso-ventrally flattened, and 'comma'-shaped.

Generally speaking, this is an easy moth to rear provided overcrowding is avoided.

PARASITOIDS:

Tachinidae: Compsilura concinnata, Exorista grandis, Masicera pavoniae, Phryxe nemea, Phryxe vulgaris, Rhacodinella apicata; Trichogrammatidae: Trichogramma teleng.

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

Alnus Arbutus unedo Betula Calluna vulgaris Cistus Cornus Crataegus Erica Fagus Fragaria Fraxinus Halimium halimifolium Hippophae rhamnoides Humulus Juglans Lythrum salicaria Myrica gale Pistacia terebinthus Potentilla Prunus domestica Prunus serotina Prunus spinosa Prunus virginiana Pyrus communis Pyrus malus Quercus Rosa Rubus idaeus Rumex Salix babylonica Sambucus Schinus terebinthifolius...... Sorbus Spiraea alba Ulmus Vaccinium myrtillus

Alder Strawberry madrone Birch Scottish heathers Shrubby rock-rose Dogwood Hawthorn Heath beech Strawberry Ash Rock Rose Sallow thorn Hops Walnut Loosestrife Sweetgale Cyprus/Terpentine Cinquefoil Garden plum Wild black cherry Blackthorn Choke cherry Pear Apple Oak Rose Wild red raspberry Sorrel weeping willow Elderberry Brazil peppertree Mountain ash Meadow spiraea Elm Thinleaf huckleberry

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