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 3888 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 06, 2025
Submitted by: lynette1213
Region: Allen County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 02, 2025
Submitted by: rlange
Region: District of Columbia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 06, 2025
Submitted by: lynette1213
Region: Allen County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 06, 2025
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: Jadecochrane
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 06, 2025
Observation date: Jul 16, 2025
Submitted by: Melinda Bell
Region: Sumner County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Aug 02, 2025
Submitted by: LuisP
Region: Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jul 28, 2025
Submitted by: kseckel
Region: Hardin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 01, 2025
Observation date: Jun 21, 2023
Submitted by: Michele Pollock
Region: Brown County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 27, 2025
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: MNMothMom
Region: St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: MNMothMom
Region: St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 24, 2025
Observation date: Jul 14, 2025
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Scott County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 15, 2025
Observation date: Jul 06, 2025
Submitted by: ShawnAhodder
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 07, 2025
Observation date: Jul 02, 2025
Submitted by: Keylime Cat
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 06, 2025
Observation date: Jun 27, 2025
Submitted by: Xixihunts
Region: Clatsop County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 06, 2025
Observation date: Jun 30, 2025
Submitted by: jweissmann
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 05, 2025
Observation date: Jun 23, 2025
Submitted by: sling_shot1029
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 05, 2025
Observation date: Jun 19, 2025
Submitted by: danderson868
Region: Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 05, 2025
Observation date: Jun 18, 2025
Submitted by: danderson868
Region: Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 05, 2025
Observation date: Jul 03, 2025
Submitted by: Nature.Freak
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 03, 2025
Observation date: Jun 18, 2025
Submitted by: Latenight
Region: Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 26, 2025
Observation date: Jun 26, 2025
Submitted by: kristasessions
Region: Cortland County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 26, 2025
Observation date: Jun 17, 2025
Submitted by: pjcampbell
Region: Prince Edward Island, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 25, 2025
Observation date: Jun 17, 2025
Submitted by: MWaller
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 22, 2025
Observation date: Jun 19, 2025
Submitted by: anticode
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 22, 2025
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