Attributes of Samia cynthia

Ailanthus silkmoth
Samia cynthia (Drury, 1773)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Wings are olive brown to brown with wide pinkish median bands. Each wing has a large crescent-shaped transparent spot edged with gold.
Wing Span: 4 1/8 - 5 1/2 inches (10.5 - 14 cm).
Life History: Adults fly during the day. In the evening, females lay eggs on the host plant in rows of 10-20. The eggs hatch in 2-3 weeks and the young caterpillars feed in tight groups. Older caterpillars are solitary feeders. The grayish cocoons are attached to the main petiole of a leaf, and may drop to the ground if the main petiole falls off in autumn.
Flight: One brood from June-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: The introduced Chinese tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Cities and suburbs where Ailanthus grows.
Range: The Ailanthus silkmoth was introduced from China in the late 1800s in an attempt to establish a silk industry in the eastern United States. Its current distribution is spotty along the Atlantic coast from Connecticut to Georgia and west to northern Kentucky.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: TX - Presumed extinct.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Samia cynthia

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Samia cynthia - samicynt.jpg

Samia cynthia - samicynt.jpg

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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
October 21, 1986 legacy.reporter (Jeffrey T. Frey) Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States June 21, 2010 Details
January 01, 1978 legacy.reporter (Robinson, Larry) St Louis County, Missouri, United States March 05, 2009 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Hartford County, Connecticut, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter New Haven County, Connecticut, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter New Castle County, Delaware, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Essex County, New Jersey, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Mercer County, New Jersey, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Dutchess County, New York, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Queens County, New York, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Westchester County, New York, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States December 31, 2004 Details
January 01, 1950 legacy.reporter Arlington County, Virginia, United States December 31, 2004 Details