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 644 verified sightings
Observation date: May 19, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 20, 2019
Observation date: May 18, 2019
Submitted by: CESembower
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 18, 2019
Observation date: May 11, 2019
Submitted by: EileenR
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 13, 2019
Observation date: May 03, 2019
Submitted by: Ywalker
Region: Franklin County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 04, 2019
Observation date: May 02, 2019
Submitted by: OlliesM0M
Region: Spotsylvania County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 02, 2019
Observation date: Apr 30, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 01, 2019
Observation date: Apr 30, 2019
Submitted by: Trish Cayton
Region: Harrison County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 01, 2019
Observation date: Apr 26, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 27, 2019
Observation date: Apr 24, 2019
Submitted by: scottj4hops
Region: Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 24, 2019
Observation date: Apr 24, 2019
Submitted by: Susan H.
Region: Marion County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 24, 2019
Observation date: Apr 07, 2019
Submitted by: SybilC
Region: Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 09, 2019
Observation date: Apr 05, 2019
Submitted by: Clark891
Region: Crawford County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 07, 2019
Observation date: Feb 05, 2019
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 08, 2019
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
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