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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 861 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 10, 2025
Submitted by: Allisonmichelle23
Region: Nelson County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Jul 03, 2025
Submitted by: SWilliams
Region: York County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 08, 2025
Observation date: Jul 06, 2025
Submitted by: vnear
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 06, 2025
Observation date: Jul 01, 2025
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 02, 2025
Observation date: Jun 30, 2025
Submitted by: DeboraHarv
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 30, 2025
Observation date: Jun 21, 2025
Submitted by: sapphirn98
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2025
Observation date: Jun 11, 2025
Submitted by: Socston
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 12, 2025
Observation date: Jun 05, 2025
Submitted by: poolboyvmprmansion
Region: Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 08, 2025
Observation date: Jun 05, 2025
Submitted by: Charlie.Irene
Region: Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 08, 2025
Observation date: Jul 18, 2020
Submitted by: cskipper
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 07, 2025
Observation date: Apr 18, 2025
Submitted by: bethwilkins708
Region: Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 20, 2025
Observation date: Apr 18, 2025
Submitted by: bethwilkins708
Region: Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 20, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: catbirdcat
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2024
Submitted by: JWagz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
Observation date: May 19, 2024
Submitted by: Flipper1970
Region: Swain County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 11, 2024
Submitted by: Kak0402
Region: Orange County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: Smitty54
Region: York County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 11, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: Kristylardomita
Region: Geauga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: May 02, 2024
Submitted by: Dave Webb
Region: Kent County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 29, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: joellenfisch
Region: Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 13, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: Carenrc
Region: Christian County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 09, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: Carenrc
Region: Christian County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 09, 2024
Observation date: May 29, 2024
Submitted by: FrontRoyalVA
Region: Virginia, Warren County, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 02, 2024
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