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 505 - 528 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 22, 2012
Submitted by: SarahWade
Region: Etowah County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: jasondroberts
Verified date: Mar 28, 2012
Observation date: Sep 22, 2011
Submitted by: Robert61
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 24, 2011
Observation date: Jul 01, 2011
Submitted by: Robert61
Region: Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 19, 2011
Observation date: Aug 17, 2011
Submitted by: Mia
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Aug 19, 2011
Observation date: Jul 15, 2011
Submitted by: pamela.linger@g...
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 16, 2011
Observation date: Jun 05, 2011
Submitted by: x.MelissaHill.x
Region: Berrien County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Ranger Steve Mueller
Verified date: Aug 14, 2011
Observation date: Jul 09, 2011
Submitted by: pattyburt48
Region: Rock County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 10, 2011
Observation date: Aug 05, 2011
Submitted by: Leslie Warren
Region: Mahoning County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2011
Observation date: Jul 14, 2011
Submitted by: catherine
Region: Cayuga County, New York, United States
Verified by: Jo Roy
Verified date: Aug 07, 2011
Observation date: Jun 15, 2011
Submitted by: Wlpara10
Region: Powell County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 27, 2011
Observation date: Jul 01, 2011
Submitted by: llisa007
Region: Onondaga County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jul 25, 2011
Observation date: Jun 28, 2011
Submitted by: BeccaJ
Region: Oswego County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jul 25, 2011
Observation date: Jul 18, 2011
Submitted by: meloakley
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 23, 2011
Observation date: Jul 11, 2011
Submitted by: Stephen Kloiber
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 22, 2011
Observation date: Jul 17, 2011
Submitted by: rivertrail
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 20, 2011
Observation date: Sep 15, 2010
Submitted by: rtiedtke
Region: Fairfield County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2011
Observation date: Jul 13, 2011
Submitted by: bandrus88
Region: Winnebago County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 13, 2011
Observation date: Jul 12, 2011
Submitted by: fat buttrfly
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 12, 2011
Observation date: Jun 29, 2011
Submitted by: bjmilner
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Jul 07, 2011
Observation date: May 28, 2011
Submitted by: blueridgenursery
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 23, 2011
Observation date: Jun 15, 2011
Submitted by: Marlon Russo
Region: Ocean County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jun 16, 2011
Observation date: May 30, 2011
Submitted by: debhouli
Region: New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness
Verified date: Jun 06, 2011
Observation date: Jun 02, 2011
Submitted by: Lan
Region: Allegan County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Ranger Steve Mueller
Verified date: Jun 06, 2011
Observation date: May 29, 2011
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Joseph A. Pusateri)
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 02, 2011
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