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 313 - 336 of 869 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Jun 07, 2016
Submitted by: jollygoodyellow
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 07, 2016
Observation date: May 26, 2016
Submitted by: Trailmaker
Region: Jefferson County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 03, 2016
Observation date: Jun 03, 2016
Submitted by: rcarver81
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 03, 2016
Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: edenny
Region: Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 31, 2016
Observation date: May 30, 2016
Submitted by: kthurber
Region: Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 31, 2016
Observation date: May 27, 2016
Submitted by: Kaptnsplash
Region: Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 27, 2016
Observation date: May 19, 2016
Submitted by: TCat7187
Region: Cecil County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 20, 2016
Observation date: May 17, 2016
Submitted by: M1zpah82
Region: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 17, 2016
Observation date: May 12, 2016
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 13, 2016
Observation date: Apr 23, 2016
Submitted by: mikewenger
Region: Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 27, 2016
Observation date: Apr 02, 2016
Submitted by: Fleurrie
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 08, 2016
Observation date: Jul 14, 2015
Submitted by: butterflyqueen
Region: Barry County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Feb 10, 2016
Observation date: Jun 09, 2013
Submitted by: Ilse Gebhard
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Feb 10, 2016
Observation date: Jul 29, 2011
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 16, 2015
Observation date: Sep 02, 2015
Submitted by: Sburnison8109
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: TeaKH
Verified date: Nov 04, 2015
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