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 3939 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: BlueKirby
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 06, 2026
Observation date: Jun 29, 2026
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Union County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 29, 2026
Observation date: Jun 04, 2026
Submitted by: clark030
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jun 28, 2026
Observation date: Jun 03, 2026
Submitted by: Gloverdj
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jun 28, 2026
Observation date: Jun 25, 2026
Submitted by: jnchandler
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 28, 2026
Observation date: Jun 26, 2026
Submitted by: Nox
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 26, 2026
Observation date: Jun 25, 2026
Submitted by: melissa8114
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 26, 2026
Observation date: Jun 22, 2026
Submitted by: babywolf
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 22, 2026
Observation date: Mar 12, 2026
Submitted by: Stephanie Moore
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 20, 2026
Observation date: Apr 23, 2025
Submitted by: Stephanie Moore
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 20, 2026
Observation date: May 23, 2026
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 18, 2026
Observation date: Jun 15, 2026
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 16, 2026
Observation date: Jun 15, 2026
Submitted by: AsthmaEnthusiast
Region: Genesee County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 16, 2026
Observation date: Jun 11, 2026
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 11, 2026
Observation date: Jun 02, 2026
Submitted by: MeganMarks
Region: King County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 10, 2026
Observation date: Jun 03, 2026
Submitted by: Dee545
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 07, 2026
Observation date: Jun 04, 2026
Submitted by: pandohannah@gma...
Region: Lorain County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 05, 2026
Observation date: Jun 01, 2026
Submitted by: BuffaloveMom
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 02, 2026
Observation date: May 29, 2026
Submitted by: wardally
Region: Josephine County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 31, 2026
Observation date: May 29, 2026
Submitted by: wardally
Region: Josephine County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 31, 2026
Observation date: May 27, 2026
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 27, 2026
Observation date: Sep 18, 2024
Submitted by: LanaV
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 27, 2026
Observation date: May 22, 2026
Submitted by: Mjromock
Region: Onondaga County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: May 24, 2026
Observation date: Feb 18, 2026
Submitted by: BugWeedle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 20, 2026
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