The Emperor Moth (Pavonia pavonia) is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Saturnia.
Description[]
The male has a wingspan of about 60 mm with brown and white forewings marked with red and orange fascia and a bold black and orange eye-spot. The hindwings are orange with a similar eye-spot. The female is larger (wingspan about 80 mm) but less brightly coloured than the male, being generally grey and white but has all wings marked with eye-spots similar to the male.
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.
Habitat & Range[]
The species inhabits a range of habitats but is most often associated with heathland and moorland. It occurs throughout the Palearctic region and is the only member of its family to be found in the British Isles. In Britain, in is fairly widespread.
Larvae[]
The caterpillar is black and orange at first, later becoming green with black rings and yellow and red spots. The commonest food plant is heather but the species has also been recorded feeding on a huge range of other plants (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa within a fibrous cocoon.
Recorded food plants[]
Alchemilla Alnus – Alder
Arbutus – Strawberry Tree
Betula – Birch
Calluna – Heather
Cornus – Dogwood
Crataegus – Hawthorn
Erica Fagus – Beech
Filipendula – Meadowsweet
Fragaria – Strawberry
Fraxinus – Ash
Hippophae – Sea-buckthorn
Humulus – Hop
Juglans – Walnut
Lythrum – Purple loosestrife
Malus – Apple
Myrica galePistacia – Terebinth
Populus – Aspen
Potentilla Prunus Pyrus – Pear
Quercus – Oak
Rhamnus – Buckthorn
Rosa – Rose
Sambucus – Elder
Schinus – Brazilian pepper
Vaccinium