Saturnia pavonia

Saturnia pavonia(Saturnia pavonia)

Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —saturniidae

Genus –saturnia

Appearance

The caterpillar is black and orange at first, later becoming green with black rings and yellow and red spots.

The male has a wingspan of about 60 mm (2.4 in) with brown and white forewings marked with red and orange fascia and a bold black and orange eyespot. The hindwings are orange with a similar eyespot. The female is larger with a wingspan of about 80 mm (3.1 in), but less brightly colored than the male, being generally grey and white but has all wings marked with eyespots similar to the male.

Habitat

This butterfly occurs throughout the Palearctic region and is the only member of its family to be found in the British Isles.

Behavior

The male flies rapidly during the day from mid-April to late June looking for the rather sluggish females, which usually only fly at night. They overwinter in the pupal stage.

The young caterpillars live socially, the mature ones are found more singly and are not very conspicuous.

Diet

Adult butterflies of this species do not feed and survive on the supplies accumulated during the larval stage.

Saturnia pavonialarvae have been recorded feeding on Alchemilla, Alnus, Arbutus, Betula, Calluna, Cornus, Crataegus, Erica, Fagus, Filipendula, Fragaria, Fraxinus, Hippophae, Humulus, Juglans, Lythrum, Malus, Myrica gale, Pistacia, Populus, Potentilla, Prunus, Pyrus, Quercus, Rhamnus, Rosa, Rubus, Rumex, Salix, Sambucus, Schinus, Sorbus, Spiraea, Ulmus, Vaccinium.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 70 x 70 x 100 cm. The female lays eggs in groups of 10-20 on the bark and lower part of the leaves of the forage plant. Each female lays up to 150 eggs. The eggs are oval, light brown with a darker ring. The incubation period is 7-10 days.If the newborn caterpillars do not begin to feed, they should be placed for 1-2 days in a dark place.Forage plants should be replaced every day.The caterpillars should be kept in mesh terrariums for 6-10 insects.In the terrarium, you need to place a forage plant.Caterpillars should be kept at a room temperature and humidity of 60-70%.The caterpillar develops for about 2 months. The cocoon is brown, the caterpillar attaches it to a branch or builds it in leaf litter, if there is one in the terrarium. The pupa is brown. Cocoons should be kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of about 5 °C and a humidity of 60-70%. In the spring, they should be moved to a warm place. Within a few days after this, the butterflies begin to hatch. The lifespan of a butterfly is 7-12 days.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary.