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 241 - 264 of 3946 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Sep 20, 2015
Submitted by: thanos15084
Region: United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 08, 2023
Observation date: Jun 05, 2023
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jun 05, 2023
Observation date: Jun 05, 2023
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jun 05, 2023
Observation date: Jun 02, 2023
Submitted by: JMJaskula
Region: Newton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 04, 2023
Observation date: May 22, 2023
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 23, 2023
Observation date: May 13, 2023
Submitted by: Amerika352
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 14, 2023
Observation date: May 01, 2023
Submitted by: jadreiling4
Region: Kay County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 07, 2023
Observation date: May 05, 2023
Submitted by: Ronin 19
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 05, 2023
Observation date: May 05, 2023
Submitted by: Ronin 19
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 05, 2023
Observation date: Apr 28, 2023
Submitted by: Michayla Lovitt
Region: Franklin County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 29, 2023
Observation date: Apr 18, 2023
Submitted by: Lilred2112
Region: McDonough County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 20, 2023
Observation date: Apr 13, 2023
Submitted by: e.a.rakow
Region: Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 15, 2023
Observation date: Mar 31, 2023
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Lowndes County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 08, 2023
Observation date: Mar 08, 2023
Submitted by: 2doxieLisa
Region: Texas, Sabine County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 03, 2023
Observation date: Mar 20, 2023
Submitted by: rxmitchellk
Region: Union County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 21, 2023
Observation date: Feb 20, 2023
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Texas, Morris County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 12, 2023
Observation date: Mar 08, 2023
Submitted by: Rosewc
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 12, 2023
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