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 568 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 24, 2017
Submitted by: Colin Gillette
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 24, 2017
Observation date: Jun 15, 2017
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 15, 2017
Observation date: Jun 04, 2017
Submitted by: jsc2k1
Region: Columbiana County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 06, 2017
Observation date: Jun 01, 2017
Submitted by: artistKT
Region: Jersey County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 04, 2017
Observation date: Jun 03, 2017
Submitted by: Dianabh2
Region: Will County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 04, 2017
Observation date: May 24, 2017
Submitted by: Dwarnold
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 26, 2017
Observation date: Apr 25, 2017
Submitted by: mattgrisnik
Region: Overton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Ken Childs
Verified date: May 26, 2017
Observation date: May 17, 2017
Submitted by: Bkripto
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 22, 2017
Observation date: May 16, 2017
Submitted by: efeigenbaum
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 18, 2017
Observation date: Jun 17, 2014
Submitted by: ahighstrom
Region: Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 06, 2017
Observation date: Jan 13, 2017
Submitted by: nancy cladel
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 14, 2017
Observation date: May 29, 2011
Submitted by: mothman27
Region: Whitley County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 11, 2017
Observation date: Jun 13, 2015
Submitted by: Dave Webb
Region: Harford County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 28, 2016
Observation date: Aug 10, 2016
Submitted by: ebruckner
Region: Geauga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 20, 2016
Observation date: Aug 18, 2016
Submitted by: Petunia0701
Region: Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 20, 2016
Observation date: Aug 06, 2016
Submitted by: Allen Gathman
Region: Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig
Verified date: Aug 09, 2016
Observation date: Aug 05, 2016
Submitted by: SYDruzhinin
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 06, 2016
Observation date: Jul 10, 2016
Submitted by: paperry
Region: Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 21, 2016
Observation date: Jul 08, 2016
Submitted by: MzGrimm
Region: Portage County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 16, 2016
Observation date: Jul 09, 2016
Submitted by: cabin countess
Region: Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 13, 2016
Observation date: Jul 01, 2016
Submitted by: ba.dickson@veri...
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 07, 2016
Observation date: Jun 26, 2016
Submitted by: Kberly
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 28, 2016
Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: bbwoooods
Region: Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 15, 2016
Observation date: Jun 08, 2016
Submitted by: Julesanne
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 08, 2016
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