Saturnia pavoniella (Scopoli, 1763)

Host plants:
As with Saturnia pavonia, the larvae feed on many shrubs and herbs, especially Rosaceae. Prunus spinosa is probably the most important host plant.

Habitat:
Saturnia pavoniella inhabits all uncut, extensive open habitats with woody portion. I found larvae most frequently in Northern Greece (Askion, Olympus) in May 2010 in hedge rows of Prunus spinosa in dry grassland areas.

Life cycle:
As with Saturnia pavonia, the pupa overwinters in the cocoon. The moths fly from March to early May. The caterpillar lives from late April to July. I observed many caterpillar nests in the region of Toulouse in early to mid-May, in Northern Greece and in the Susa Valley..

Endangerment factors:
Saturnia pavoniella is only slightly endangered, most likely by the increasing monotonization of the landscape through the EU-enacted, modern agriculture (culture steppe without structural elements).

Remarks:
Saturnia pavoniella is very similar to Saturnia pavonia, but larger. Progeny of crosses are obviously always infertile. Saturnia pavoniella flies from the Iberian Peninsula across southern and parts of Central France, Italy and the Balkans to the north into Ticino, to southeast Austria and southern Slovakia.