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 25 - 48 of 3843 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: Tawnia
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: Gruntaloob
Region: Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 14, 2024
Observation date: Jul 10, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 10, 2024
Submitted by: 2Tall2024
Region: Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
Observation date: Jun 27, 2024
Submitted by: mattvc03
Region: Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 10, 2024
Observation date: Jun 27, 2024
Submitted by: mattvc03
Region: Bayfield County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 10, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: Soma_Reyes
Region: Jackson County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 09, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: dianedurica
Region: Suffolk, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 08, 2024
Observation date: Jun 23, 2024
Submitted by: RStankiewicz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 06, 2024
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Ontario County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Tuckamore22
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: May 04, 2023
Submitted by: Lynnie7
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: Ljay
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Apr 14, 2024
Submitted by: VeronicaSpeedwell
Region: Gregg County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: SusanPotomac
Region: Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 26, 2024
Submitted by: AGNP
Region: Gadsden County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
Observation date: Jun 27, 2024
Submitted by: smsmith14
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
Observation date: Jun 26, 2024
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
Observation date: Jun 22, 2024
Submitted by: pammymp
Region: Island County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
Observation date: Jun 21, 2024
Submitted by: pszczolkowski
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 21, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: speele
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 17, 2024
Observation date: Jun 12, 2024
Submitted by: 1Creaturelover.
Region: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 12, 2024
Observation date: Jun 05, 2024
Submitted by: Amcenhill
Region: Dutchess County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 12, 2024
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