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 121 - 144 of 3843 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 23, 2023
Submitted by: Sunny919
Region: Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 23, 2023
Observation date: Jul 21, 2023
Submitted by: DrRawley
Region: Muscogee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 23, 2023
Observation date: Jul 23, 2023
Submitted by: Fatcatness
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 23, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2023
Submitted by: David Trently
Region: Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 14, 2023
Submitted by: nextnever
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 18, 2023
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 20, 2023
Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 20, 2023
Observation date: Jul 18, 2023
Submitted by: ALEXANDRA TETI
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: Coachdwight
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: Coachdwight
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 15, 2023
Submitted by: Liz Barnes
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 08, 2023
Submitted by: ebauds
Region: Ottawa County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2023
Observation date: Jul 09, 2023
Submitted by: Jstelzer
Region: Mercer County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 11, 2023
Observation date: Jul 06, 2023
Submitted by: DRLem23ME
Region: Kennebec County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 08, 2023
Observation date: Jun 22, 2023
Submitted by: Jacksenzig
Region: Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 01, 2023
Observation date: Jun 12, 2023
Submitted by: Apaulo13
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 27, 2023
Observation date: Jun 18, 2023
Submitted by: RScottyL
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 22, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: Abe17
Region: Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 19, 2023
Observation date: Jun 16, 2023
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 17, 2023
Observation date: Jun 13, 2023
Submitted by: kkuecker26
Region: Rock County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jun 13, 2023
Observation date: Jun 12, 2023
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 12, 2023
Observation date: Jun 09, 2023
Submitted by: PTelesco60
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 11, 2023
Observation date: Jun 07, 2023
Submitted by: johnjjingleheim...
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 08, 2023
Observation date: Jun 08, 2023
Submitted by: Joyohaver
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 08, 2023
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