Species · GBIF taxon 1867820
Emperor Moth
Saturnia pavoniaAlso known as Small Emperor Moth, Emperor
Emperor moths display striking sexual dimorphism, with orange-hindwinged males flying rapidly during the day in search of the larger, grey-winged females that fly only at night. Both sexes feature prominent, concentric eyespots on each wing to startle potential predators. The caterpillars are equally distinctive, starting black and maturing into bright green with pink or yellow warts.
PalearcticEyespotsSilk Moth
Licensed referenceLukas Jonaitis from Vilnius, Lithuania / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
- diet
- Adults do not feed; caterpillars eat heather, bramble, sallow, and hawthorn.
- family
- Saturniidae
- threats
- Habitat loss, overgrazing of heathlands, and light pollution affecting nocturnal females.
- life Span
- 1 year (adults live only 1 to 2 weeks).
LC
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- Pheromone Lures: Use synthetic female pheromone lures in the morning to attract wild males.
- Spotting Caterpillars: Search heather and bramble stems in mid-summer for the bright green caterpillars.
- Night Detection: Look for the larger, grey females resting on vegetation or near light sources after dark.