Pyrausta

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title: "Pyrausta" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dragons-in-greek-mythology", "greek-legendary-creatures", "mythological-insects"] description: "Mythological insect from Cyprus" topic_path: "philosophy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrausta" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mythological insect from Cyprus ::

Pyrausta or pyrallis (πυραλλίς) (also called in Greek pyrigonos) is a mythological insect from Cyprus. It is a four-legged insect with filmy wings. It lived in the fire like a salamander and died if it went away from the fire. Janssens identifies it with the Melanophila acuminata.

References

• The Natural History of Pliny the Elder, Book 11, Chapter 42; the Latin text reads pyral(l)is and either pyrausta or pyrotocon.
• Aelian, On the nature of animals 2, 2 : pyrigonos.
• Em. Janssens, "Le « pyrotocon » de Pline l'Ancien", Latomus, 9, fasc. 3 (juillet-septembre 1950), pp. 283–286 (Société d'Études Latines de Bruxelles).

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