Saturnia pyri

Saturnia pyri, the giant peacock moth, great peacock moth, giant emperor moth or Viennese emperor, is a Saturniid moth which is native to Europe. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is the largest European moth, with a wingspan reaching 15–20 cm (6–8 in).

Giant peacock moth
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Saturniidae
Genus:	Saturnia
Species:	S. pyri
Binomial name
Saturnia pyri (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)
Synonyms
Bombyx pyri [Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775

The giant peacock moth has a range that includes the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, northern Hungary, central and southern Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, southern and eastern Bulgaria, southern Greece southern Turkey, south Kyrgyzstan, western Syria, Lebanon, north Israel, southern Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Italy and extends into Siberia and north Africa. It is absent from the UK, though a small handful of individuals have been recorded, likely of captive origin.

Additional images

• 
  Hatching, with the egg still attached - on an almond leaf
• 
  Caterpillar
• 
  Caterpillar - high resolution
• 
  Caterpillar - detail
• 
  Cocoon
• 
  Male - MHNT
• 
  Female
• 
  On a hand showing its large size
• 
  In the Czech Republic
• 
  In Greece
• 
  On Mount Meron in northern Israel

Giant Peacock Moth on Arum by Vincent van Gogh, 1889

External links

• A caterpillar of Saturnia pyri filmed in an endemic gum forest in Turkey
• Life cycle of Giant Silkworm Moth
• Lepiforum e.V.
• UKMoths
• Vlindernet.nl (in Dutch)