Peacock moth
Peacock moth | ||||||||||
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Lesser peacock butterfly ( Saturnia pavonia ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||
Saturniidae | ||||||||||
Boisduval , 1837 |
The peacock moth (Saturniidae), also eye moth , are a family of butterflies ( moths ). They occur worldwide with about 1500 species , in Europe one can find 10 of them.
features
With wing spans of 25 to 300 millimeters, this family includes the largest butterflies in the world. The atlas moth ( Attacus atlas ) has the largest wing area among butterflies with over 400 cm². Argema mittrei from Madagascar and the Queen Alexandra bird butterfly ( Ornithoptera alexandrae ), which belongs to the knight butterfly family , are among the butterflies with the largest wingspan. In addition to the brightly colored coloring, many species have an eye-spot on each of the fore and hind wings. These serve to deter predators . Males and females differ more or less depending on the species, with a distinguishing feature being the antennae , which in the males can take on very large dimensions and are feathered. But there are also species in which the females have feathery antennae.
The caterpillars of the peacock moth vary greatly in shape, size and color. There are smooth, hairy and with appendages and thorns covered caterpillars. They feed mainly on leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs.
distribution
Most species live in the tropical and subtropical regions, but the family occurs worldwide. Some species were spread by humans for silk breeding .
Way of life
Most of the nocturnal moths live in one generation per year, but there are also species with two generations. In this case, the spring and summer generations pupate after a few weeks, the autumn generation takes a diapause over the winter before hatching as a butterfly in spring.
The adults of the peacock moth with their stunted or untrained digestive systems and mouthparts can not ingest food. They feed on stored fat from the caterpillar phase. Their life is directed towards their reproduction ; they die within a few days to a week after they have reproduced.
development
The females hatch with fully formed eggs and soon after hatching begin to attract males with pheromones that they secrete from special glands . The males can smell the fragrances with their large antennae over a distance of kilometers and even travel several kilometers in one night to find the localized female. The females wait in the meantime and do not fly. After mating, the female lays up to 200 eggs on the leaves of the host plant, depending on the species.
By the time they pupate, they usually molt six times. This takes place in a cocoon made of silk, between leaves or on the ground . Only a few species such as B. Citheronia regalis and Eacles imperialis pupate in a dug chamber just below the ground.
useful information
Silk can be obtained from the cocoons of many species of peacock moth. Because of this, the moths are bred in some countries, which is also the reason why some, such as the Japanese oak silk moth ( Antheraea yamamai ), were introduced into Europe. The European breeding was stopped. For example, the fagara silk is obtained from the cocoons of the atlas moth. However, these do not consist of one long, but many short threads.
Systematics
The family includes around 1500 species in 165 genera and 9 subfamilies worldwide. The most important genera of the subfamilies as well as all genera and species occurring in Europe are listed below. The species widespread in Central Europe are identified by their respective country codes (A, CH, D).
- Subfamily Oxyteninae (3 genera, 35 species)
- Genus Homoeopteryx
- Genus Oxytenis
- Genus Asthenidia
- Subfamily Cercophaninae (4 genera, 10 species)
- Genus Janiodes
- Genus Microdulia
- Genus Neocercophana
- Genus Cercophana
- Subfamily Arsenurinae (10 genera, 60 species)
- Genus Almeidaia
- Genus Arsenura
- Genus Copiopteryx Copiopteryx
- Genus Paradaemonia
- Subfamily Ceratocampinae (27 genera, 170 species)
- Genus Adeloneivaia
- Genus Anisota
- Genus Citheronia
- Genus Eacles
- Genus Ptiloscola
- Genus Schausiella
- Genus Syssphinx
- Subfamily Hemileucinae (51 genera, 630 species)
- Genus Automeris
- Genus Cerodirphia
- Genus Coloradia
- Genus Dirphia
- Genus Dirphiopsis
- Genus Gamelia
- Genus Hemileuca
- Genus Hylesia
- Genus Leucanella
- Genus Lonomia
- Genus Meroleuca
- Genus Molippa
- Genus Ormiscodes
- Genus Paradirphia
- Genus Periga
- Genus Periphoba
- Genus Pseudautomeris
- Genus Pseudodirphia
- Subfamily Agliinae (1 genus, 3 species)
- Subfamily Salassinae (1 genus, 12 species)
- Genus Salassa
- Subfamily Ludiinae (8 genera, 80 species)
- Genus Goodia
- Genus Ludia
- Genus Micragone
- Genus Orthogonioptilum
- Subfamily Saturniinae (59 genera, 480 species)
- Genus Actias
- Genus Antheraea
- Japanese oak silk moth ( Antheraea yamamai Guérin-Méneville , 1861) A.
- Chinese oak silk moth ( Antheraea pernyi Guérin-Méneville, 1855)
- Genus Attacus
- Genus Bunaea
- Genus Bunaeopsis
- Genus Caligula
- Genus Copaxa
- Genus Cricula
- Genus Coscinocera
- Genus Decachorda
- Genus Epiphora
- Genus Gonimbrasia
- Genus Graellsia
- Isabellae Spinner ( Graellsia isabellae Graells, 1849) CH
- Genus Imbrasia
- Genus Lobobunaea
- Genus Loepa
- Genus Maltagorea
- Genus Opodiphthera
- Genus Perisomena
- Perisomena caecigena (Kupido, 1825)
- Genus Pseudobunaea
- Genus Rothschildia
- Genus Samia
- Tree of God Spinner ( Samia cynthia Drury, 1773) A, CH
- Genus Saturnia ( night peacock butterfly )
- Viennese night peacock butterfly ( Saturnia pyri [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) A, CH
- Lesser peacock butterfly ( Saturnia pavonia Linnaeus, 1758) A, CH, D
- Southern lesser night peacock butterfly ( Saturnia pavoniella Scopoli, 1763) A, CH, D
- Middle peacock butterfly ( Saturnia spini [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) A
Non-European species (selection)
- Atlas moth ( Attacus atlas Linnaeus, 1758)
- Gonimbrasia belina (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Actias luna (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Actias selene (Huebner, 1806)
- Actias dubernardi
- Samia canningi
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Saturniidae. Fauna Europaea, accessed December 18, 2011 .
- ↑ Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology . 1st edition. tape 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta , volume 35. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7 , p. 336 ff . (English).
- ↑ Saturniidae. Lepiforum eV, accessed on March 21, 2011 .
literature
- Niels P. Kristensen: Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.): Handbook of Zoology . 1st edition. tape 4 - Arthropoda: Insecta , volume 35. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7 (English).
- Malcolm J. Scoble: The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1995, ISBN 0-19-854952-0 (English).
- Axel Steiner, Ulrich Ratzel, Morton Top-Jensen, Michael Fibiger: Die Nachtfalter Deutschlands - A field guide - page 68.Bugbook Publishing, 2014, ISBN 9783000438622