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
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 481 - 504 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 06, 2012
Submitted by: DCD621
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jul 11, 2012
Observation date: Jul 06, 2012
Submitted by: curiouspluscamera
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 06, 2012
Observation date: Jun 09, 2012
Submitted by: cbalerna
Region: New London County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jun 27, 2012
Observation date: Jun 07, 2009
Submitted by: Stefan Peters
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jun 26, 2012
Observation date: Jun 18, 2012
Submitted by: Susan Sawyer
Region: Washington County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jun 22, 2012
Observation date: Jun 18, 2012
Submitted by: franciepants
Region: Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jun 21, 2012
Observation date: May 28, 2012
Submitted by: zmestel
Region: Vermont, United States
Verified by: Kent McFarland
Verified date: Jun 18, 2012
Observation date: Jun 12, 2012
Submitted by: npeasley
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Jun 13, 2012
Observation date: Jun 11, 2012
Submitted by: Krista in Maine
Region: Waldo County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Jun 12, 2012
Observation date: Jun 07, 2012
Submitted by: skowhegan
Region: Somerset County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Jun 08, 2012
Observation date: May 27, 2012
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: May 31, 2012
Observation date: May 27, 2012
Submitted by: lrivera
Region: York County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: May 29, 2012
Observation date: May 24, 2012
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Rory Bower)
Region: Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 27, 2012
Observation date: May 26, 2012
Submitted by: slemieux
Region: Somerset County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: May 27, 2012
Observation date: May 24, 2012
Submitted by: krienke
Region: Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: May 26, 2012
Observation date: May 24, 2012
Submitted by: slemieux
Region: Kennebec County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: May 25, 2012
Observation date: May 25, 2012
Submitted by: BrandyLynn
Region: Somerset County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: May 25, 2012
Observation date: May 21, 2012
Submitted by: jwkunhardt
Region: Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 21, 2012
Observation date: May 16, 2012
Submitted by: Richard D. Breen
Region: Wood County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: May 17, 2012
Observation date: May 08, 2012
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Rita Lehman)
Region: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 09, 2012
Observation date: Apr 29, 2012
Submitted by: GeorgiaMoth
Region: Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 01, 2012
Observation date: Apr 17, 2012
Submitted by: tigergirl13
Region: Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 19, 2012
Observation date: Apr 14, 2012
Submitted by: taylorcreek
Region: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 14, 2012
Observation date: Apr 08, 2012
Submitted by: Sixquiverful
Region: Oconee County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 08, 2012
- ‹ previous
- 21 of 37
- next ›