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 605 verified sightings
Observation date: May 19, 2018
Submitted by: Bkripto
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 21, 2018
Observation date: May 19, 2018
Submitted by: Bkripto
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 21, 2018
Observation date: May 19, 2018
Submitted by: Bkripto
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 20, 2018
Observation date: Aug 13, 2016
Submitted by: KaylaJo30
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 07, 2018
Observation date: Aug 05, 2014
Submitted by: bpshorty
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 19, 2018
Observation date: Jun 01, 2014
Submitted by: bpshorty
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 19, 2018
Observation date: Mar 29, 2018
Submitted by: Bbgogo
Region: Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 29, 2018
Observation date: Mar 18, 2018
Submitted by: jcblithe
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 20, 2018
Observation date: Aug 17, 2017
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Virginia, United States, York County
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 19, 2017
Observation date: Jun 17, 2016
Submitted by: Mark Duigon
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 12, 2017
Observation date: Apr 11, 2017
Submitted by: Ashmac92
Region: Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 04, 2017
Observation date: Jun 03, 2016
Submitted by: Mark Duigon
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2017
Observation date: Jun 03, 2016
Submitted by: greerogrl
Region: Onondaga County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 23, 2017
Observation date: Sep 16, 2017
Submitted by: BrandonH
Region: Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 16, 2017
Observation date: Aug 11, 2017
Submitted by: lawilsher
Region: Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 07, 2017
Observation date: Sep 06, 2017
Submitted by: lawilsher
Region: Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 07, 2017
Observation date: Aug 24, 2017
Submitted by: hvanhillo99 H
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 26, 2017
Observation date: May 24, 2017
Submitted by: AutumnYuuki
Region: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 24, 2017
Observation date: Aug 06, 2017
Submitted by: Colin Gillette
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 06, 2017
Observation date: Aug 06, 2017
Submitted by: Vanyen5400
Region: Warrick County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 06, 2017
Observation date: Aug 06, 2017
Submitted by: Vslack
Region: Muskingum County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 06, 2017
Observation date: Aug 03, 2017
Submitted by: Colin Gillette
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 04, 2017
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: Lisar
Region: Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 29, 2017
Observation date: Jul 27, 2017
Submitted by: jaymengel
Region: Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 27, 2017
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