Promethea silkmoth
Callosamia promethea (Drury, 1773)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Saturniinae
Identification: Males and females differ. Male body is black; wings are black with tan borders, faint tan postmedian lines, and pink near the eyespots on the forewing tips. Female wings are dark brown to reddish-brown with tan borders and well-developed tan cell spots on all wings.
Wing Span: 2 15/16 - 3 3/4 inches (7.5 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: Males seek females in the afternoon and early evening, with most mating occurring from 4 PM to sunset. At night, females lay rows of 4-10 eggs on the upperside of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars feed together while older caterpillars are solitary. Older caterpillars do not eat the leaf midvein, but cut the leaf petiole at the base so it falls to the ground, perhaps a defensive measure eliminating visual or olfactory signs of feeding. A caterpillar ready to pupate strengthens a leaf petiole with silk and then spins its cocoon inside the curled leaf. The cocoon hangs from the host plant throughout the winter.
Flight: One brood from May-July in the north, two broods from March-May and in August in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: A broad range of plants including spicebush (Lindera benzoin), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), white ash (Fraxinus americana), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), and others.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands.
Range: Eastern United States to the Great Plains and Maine west through southern Quebec and Wisconsin to Minnesota; south to the Florida panhandle, the Gulf coast, and east Texas.
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: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 631 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 02, 2016
Submitted by: tramea
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 10, 2018
Observation date: Jul 02, 2018
Submitted by: Johnerik
Region: Ogle County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 29, 2018
Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: Dave Webb
Region: Harford County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 27, 2018
Observation date: Sep 17, 2018
Submitted by: pmrules21
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 18, 2018
Observation date: Aug 14, 2018
Submitted by: Eserra
Region: Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 27, 2018
Observation date: Aug 09, 2018
Submitted by: a-o
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 11, 2018
Observation date: Aug 08, 2018
Submitted by: Daniel Taylor
Region: Worcester County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 08, 2018
Observation date: Aug 07, 2018
Submitted by: First Hermit
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 07, 2018
Observation date: Jun 03, 2018
Submitted by: Ian Pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 22, 2018
Observation date: Jul 10, 2018
Submitted by: Jacksenzig
Region: Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 21, 2018
Observation date: May 12, 2014
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 16, 2018
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: Kfisette
Region: York County, Maine, United States
Verified by: layberry
Verified date: Jul 16, 2018
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: Daiyyy
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 15, 2018
Observation date: Jul 12, 2018
Submitted by: Jacqueline Marble
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2018
Observation date: May 17, 2018
Submitted by: Brooklynat33
Region: Cherokee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 09, 2018
Observation date: Jul 05, 2018
Submitted by: BumbleB
Region: Loudoun County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 06, 2018
Observation date: Jul 02, 2018
Submitted by: cmc7486
Region: Ontario County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 03, 2018
Observation date: Jun 30, 2018
Submitted by: julmast
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jun 30, 2018
Observation date: May 05, 2018
Submitted by: elopm
Region: Johnson County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 28, 2018
Observation date: Jun 18, 2018
Submitted by: bparkergoh
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2018
Observation date: May 29, 2018
Submitted by: Angel911
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2018
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: oscar1988
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 02, 2018
Observation date: May 28, 2018
Submitted by: Latenight
Region: Cameron County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 02, 2018
Observation date: May 31, 2018
Submitted by: Susan Brooks
Region: Washington County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 01, 2018
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