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 265 - 288 of 3949 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Jan 15, 2023
Submitted by: MatthewHauser
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 10, 2023
Observation date: Jan 25, 2023
Submitted by: 4wildlife
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 09, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2019
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Porter County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 20, 2023
Observation date: Sep 28, 2016
Submitted by: Mary Engelman
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2023
Observation date: Jun 09, 2016
Submitted by: Jlturner
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 04, 2023
Observation date: Jun 10, 2010
Submitted by: Jaybirdtg
Region: Christian County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Jan 29, 2023
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: stallister
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 28, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2016
Submitted by: Chillout
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 28, 2023
Observation date: Jun 16, 2016
Submitted by: BackusK
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 28, 2023
Observation date: Aug 04, 2016
Submitted by: grneyebndt
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 27, 2023
Observation date: Jul 31, 2016
Submitted by: Lauren Kane
Region: United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 27, 2023
Observation date: Jun 23, 2016
Submitted by: denis gagne
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 27, 2023
Observation date: Jul 05, 2016
Submitted by: Tiggie2
Region: Park County, Montana, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jan 19, 2023
Observation date: Jan 11, 2022
Submitted by: Pokpok_9
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jan 12, 2023
Observation date: Dec 25, 2022
Submitted by: dennismagan
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 26, 2022
Observation date: Mar 14, 2020
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Harrison County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Dec 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2016
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 15, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2022
Submitted by: WrenAgain
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 26, 2022
Observation date: Oct 21, 2022
Submitted by: kdegeiso
Region: St. Lucie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 23, 2022
Observation date: Aug 05, 2022
Submitted by: enneffe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 29, 2013
Submitted by: hsmarshall
Region: Rankin County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
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