Promethea silkmoth
Callosamia promethea (Drury, 1773)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Males and females differ. Male body is black; wings are black with tan borders, faint tan postmedian lines, and pink near the eyespots on the forewing tips. Female wings are dark brown to reddish-brown with tan borders and well-developed tan cell spots on all wings.
Wing Span: 2 15/16 - 3 3/4 inches (7.5 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: Males seek females in the afternoon and early evening, with most mating occurring from 4 PM to sunset. At night, females lay rows of 4-10 eggs on the upperside of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars feed together while older caterpillars are solitary. Older caterpillars do not eat the leaf midvein, but cut the leaf petiole at the base so it falls to the ground, perhaps a defensive measure eliminating visual or olfactory signs of feeding. A caterpillar ready to pupate strengthens a leaf petiole with silk and then spins its cocoon inside the curled leaf. The cocoon hangs from the host plant throughout the winter.
Flight: One brood from May-July in the north, two broods from March-May and in August in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: A broad range of plants including spicebush (Lindera benzoin), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), white ash (Fraxinus americana), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), and others.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands.
Range: Eastern United States to the Great Plains and Maine west through southern Quebec and Wisconsin to Minnesota; south to the Florida panhandle, the Gulf coast, and east Texas.
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: None reported.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 849 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 19, 2023
Submitted by: AmyG1974
Region: Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 17, 2023
Submitted by: kmg23
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 17, 2023
Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: tmlehman
Region: Delaware County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2023
Observation date: Jul 06, 2023
Submitted by: Jamtakjohn
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 13, 2023
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 27, 2023
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 27, 2023
Observation date: May 22, 2023
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 23, 2023
Observation date: May 10, 2023
Submitted by: phojojanel
Region: Cocke County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 10, 2023
Observation date: May 23, 2021
Submitted by: DeathShadeSally
Region: Orleans County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Feb 01, 2023
Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: carolsmoths
Region: United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 29, 2023
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Dianegrube44
Region: Windsor County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 25, 2022
Observation date: Jul 23, 2022
Submitted by: ratsmacker87
Region: Randolph County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2018
Submitted by: ArkansasAurora77
Region: Grundy County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: Nancyk
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2022
Submitted by: Bevvt
Region: Franklin County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2022
Submitted by: RedDogBlue603
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2022
Submitted by: RedDogBlue603
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jun 01, 2022
Submitted by: mrskhughes
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 05, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2022
Submitted by: llawyer@indy.rr.com
Region: Brown County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 30, 2022
Observation date: Jun 28, 2022
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 29, 2022
Observation date: Jun 21, 2022
Submitted by: Hjmee575
Region: Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2022
Submitted by: jf.flynn.jr@gma...
Region: Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 16, 2022
Observation date: May 13, 2022
Submitted by: Amiller462003
Region: Lonoke County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 08, 2022
Observation date: May 31, 2022
Submitted by: Hope S
Region: Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 01, 2022
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