Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus (Cramer, 1776)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Upperside is reddish to yellowish brown; forewing margin is usually lighter than the basal area; forewing submarginal line is pink, or black and pink. Clear oval eyespots are ringed with yellow, blue, and black; hindwing eyespot is separated from the basal area of the wing by a thin pink line. Underside has rust, brown, and pink markings.
Wing Span: 3 15/16 - 5 7/8 inches (10 - 15 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge from their cocoons in the late afternoon, and mating occurs the same day from late evening to early morning. Females lay eggs that evening, singly or in groups of 2 or 3 on leaves of the host plant. Newly-hatched caterpillars eat their eggshells, and caterpillars of all ages are solitary. Older caterpillars eat an entire leaf and then cut the leaf petiole at the base so it falls to the ground, perhaps a defensive measure to eliminate signs of feeding.
Flight: One brood in the north from May-July, two broods in the Ohio Valley and southward from April-May and from July-August, two broods in the California Sierra Nevada, several broods throughout most of the year in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.
Caterpillar Hosts: A wide variety of trees and shrubs including oak (Quercus), willow (Salix), maple (Acer), and birch (Betula).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous hardwood forests, urban areas, orchards, and wetlands.
Range: Locally common in its broad range; in Canada in province except Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island; in the United States, every state except Arizona and Nevada; and Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Caterpillars can be occasional pests in California plum orchards.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 3842 verified sightings
Observation date: Nov 04, 2024
Submitted by: katherinethegreat1
Region: Highlands County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 04, 2024
Observation date: Sep 06, 2024
Submitted by: lkennedywilson
Region: St. Johns County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 04, 2024
Observation date: Sep 20, 2024
Submitted by: ButtahflyEtn37354
Region: Monroe County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 23, 2024
Observation date: Sep 18, 2024
Submitted by: Kclarke
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 19, 2024
Observation date: Sep 18, 2024
Submitted by: RockmanMT
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 18, 2024
Observation date: Sep 05, 2024
Submitted by: SublimeNJ
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 10, 2024
Observation date: Sep 09, 2024
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 10, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Aug 30, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2024
Submitted by: SammyJG
Region: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Aug 29, 2024
Observation date: May 31, 2022
Submitted by: ButtahflyEtn37354
Region: Orange County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Aug 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 22, 2024
Submitted by: Bgigglz
Region: Osceola County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 22, 2024
Observation date: Aug 14, 2024
Submitted by: Cdanel
Region: Hancock County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Mason County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: doeblerm
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 07, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: doeblerm
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 07, 2024
Observation date: Aug 06, 2024
Submitted by: doeblerm
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: Bryan Dodds
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 11, 2024
Submitted by: Agriner13
Region: Cherokee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 23, 2024
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jun 06, 2024
Submitted by: stkeating
Region: Providence County, Rhode Island, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: annaco7
Region: Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: Lizzbell
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 20, 2024
Observation date: Jun 04, 2024
Submitted by: Betsy Higgins
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 18, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
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