Night peacock butterfly

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Night peacock butterfly
Wiener Nachtpfauenauge (female) (Saturnia pyri)

Wiener Nachtpfauenauge (female) ( Saturnia pyri )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Subordination : Glossata
Family : Peacock moth (Saturniidae)
Subfamily : Saturniinae
Genre : Night peacock butterfly
Scientific name
Saturnia
Cabinet , 1802

The night peacock butterfly ( Saturnia ) is one of the moths and is a species of the peacock moth family (Saturniidae) in the butterfly fauna .

features

Two species are best known: the Viennese night peacock butterfly ( Saturnia pyri ) and the small night peacock butterfly ( Saturnia pavonia ). The former has so far only been observed in a few places in Germany and clearly determined there (e.g. at Heidelberg in 1907 or in Singen am Hohentwiel in 1908). In the 19th century, the caterpillars were often used in silk spinning, with some specimens escaping into the open air again and again. There have also been several unsuccessful reintroduction attempts (e.g. in Saarland). In conclusion, it can be said that the great peacock butterfly cannot be regarded as a native butterfly species.

The small night peacock butterfly, whose distribution includes the Central European region, is discussed below. Due to its nocturnal lifestyle, the moth is rarely seen.

Flight time

The moths fly from mid-April to mid-May.

habitat

Lesser night peacock caterpillar ( Saturnia pavonia )

Original habitats largely free of interference, e.g. B. near-natural forest edges, gravel pits , ruderal sites , but also natural gardens, are preferred by the butterflies.

Way of life

Night peacock caterpillar

The peacock butterfly only eats as a caterpillar and lives on its fat reserves as a butterfly. The development from egg to pupation of the caterpillar takes about 10-12 weeks. Before pupating, the caterpillars spin a brown cocoon. The pupae overwinter in the cocoon until the following spring. Some pupae also need two winters to hatch, in which case one speaks of lying over. The adult moths no longer have functional mouthparts. A large number of plants that serve as food for the caterpillar are named below: blackberries ( Rubus sp. ), Raspberries ( Rubus idaeus ), blueberries ( Vaccinium sp. ), Sloe ( Prunus spinosa ), meadowsweet ( Filipendula sp. ), Meadow sage ( Salvia pratensis ), various types of willow ( Salix sp.). The males can be observed in hectic flight during the day, the females laying eggs at night.

Systematics

In Europe, the genus Saturnia is represented with nine species and subspecies:

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Saturnia cupboard 1802. Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on January 2, 2008 .

literature

  • Michael Denis, Johann Ignaz Schiffermüller: Systematic directory of the butterflies of the Vienna region , Bernardi, Vienna 1775
  • Günter Ebert (Ed.): The Butterflies of Baden-Württemberg Volume 4, Moths II (Bombycidae, Endromidae, Lasiocampidae, Lemoniidae, Saturniidae, Sphingidae, Drepanidae, Notodontidae, Dilobidae, Lymantriidae, Ctenuchidae, Nolidae). Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 1994. ISBN 3-8001-3474-8
  • Manfred Koch : We determine butterflies. Volume 2: Bears, Spinners, Swarmers and Drills in Germany. 2nd, expanded edition. Neumann, Radebeul / Berlin 1964, DNB 452481929 .
  • Hans-Josef Weidemann, Jochen Köhler: Moths. Weirdos and hawkers. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1996, ISBN 3-89440-128-1 .

Web links

Commons : Peacock Butterfly  - Collection of images, videos and audio files