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 73 - 96 of 3843 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 08, 2024
Submitted by: WL77
Region: Texas, McLennan County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2024
Observation date: Mar 07, 2024
Submitted by: jbreno
Region: Cherokee County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2024
Observation date: Mar 08, 2024
Submitted by: WL77
Region: Texas, McLennan County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2024
Observation date: Aug 12, 2020
Submitted by: SJ4
Region: Allen County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 15, 2024
Observation date: Feb 28, 2024
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Feb 28, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: mskayak
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 23, 2024
Observation date: Aug 02, 2018
Submitted by: eattaway92
Region: Will County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 04, 2024
Observation date: Jun 14, 2018
Submitted by: eattaway92
Region: Will County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 27, 2024
Observation date: Mar 29, 2014
Submitted by: eattaway92
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 21, 2024
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: dahlia
Region: Meade County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 13, 2024
Observation date: Nov 03, 2023
Submitted by: chrismendez
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 04, 2023
Observation date: Oct 12, 2023
Submitted by: Jemima74
Region: Clark County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 21, 2023
Observation date: Oct 19, 2023
Submitted by: altoonamothlady
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 20, 2023
Observation date: Sep 24, 2023
Submitted by: alaimins
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 06, 2023
Observation date: Oct 02, 2023
Submitted by: altoonamothlady
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 02, 2023
Observation date: Sep 18, 2023
Submitted by: mskasik
Region: Guadalupe County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 18, 2023
Observation date: May 28, 2023
Submitted by: Ideckman
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 14, 2023
Observation date: May 28, 2023
Submitted by: Ideckman
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 14, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: RStankiewicz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 05, 2023
Observation date: Jun 19, 2023
Submitted by: RStankiewicz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 05, 2023
Observation date: Aug 08, 2023
Submitted by: kcdemille
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
Observation date: Aug 14, 2023
Submitted by: brobi004
Region: Madison County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 28, 2023
Observation date: Jul 01, 2023
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Carroll County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 25, 2023
Observation date: Jul 09, 2021
Submitted by: Kristafarquhar
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
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