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 553 - 576 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BobMoul (Bob Moul)
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Mar 22, 2011
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BobMoul (Bob Moul)
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Mar 22, 2011
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BobMoul (Bob Moul)
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Mar 22, 2011
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BobMoul (Bob Moul)
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Mar 22, 2011
Observation date: Jul 22, 2006
Submitted by: rdhealy1951@aol.com
Region: Hart County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 23, 2011
Observation date: Aug 09, 2010
Submitted by: rogerdowner (Jean Ogden-Schroeter)
Region: Shelby County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 23, 2011
Observation date: May 11, 2001
Submitted by: drkilmer
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 23, 2011
Observation date: Aug 13, 2010
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (April Lopes)
Region: Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: Apr 20, 2010
Submitted by: rita s.adkins (Rita S. Adkins)
Region: Morgan County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: May 20, 2004
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Cheryl Jennings)
Region: Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: Aug 13, 2010
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (April Lopes)
Region: Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: Jun 29, 2010
Submitted by: Amanda Fulton (Amanda Fulton)
Region: Medina County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Dec 31, 2010
Observation date: May 30, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (D. Lynn Scott)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Sep 13, 2010
Observation date: Jun 07, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (D. Lynn Scott)
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Sep 13, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA
Region:
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Ron Bergida)
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Anita Gould)
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Anita Gould)
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Anita Gould)
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: BAMONA (Steve Bachler)
Region: Windham County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Sep 06, 2010
Observation date: Apr 25, 2010
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Don Gresh)
Region: Gilmer County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap (Mike Chapman)
Verified date: Aug 03, 2010
Observation date: Jul 03, 2010
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Nancy Baker)
Region: Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Verified date: Aug 03, 2010
Observation date: May 01, 2010
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Region: Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Verified date: Jun 21, 2010
Observation date: Aug 22, 2009
Submitted by: Tom Middagh (Tom Middagh)
Region: Itasca County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh (Tom Middagh)
Verified date: Oct 19, 2009
- ‹ previous
- 24 of 37
- next ›