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 577 - 600 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 11, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Karen Milroy)
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HD McGuinness)
Verified date: Oct 13, 2009
Observation date: Jul 20, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Matt McBride)
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HD McGuinness)
Verified date: Oct 13, 2009
Observation date: Jul 28, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Colleen McElhinney)
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Sep 24, 2009
Observation date: May 23, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Brett Marshall)
Region: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Sep 24, 2009
Observation date: Jul 03, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (J VanGorden)
Region: Delaware County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Aug 10, 2009
Observation date: Jul 10, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Cary Seidman)
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Aug 10, 2009
Observation date: May 29, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Phil Fry)
Region: Champaign County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Jul 24, 2009
Observation date: Jun 12, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Patricia Temple)
Region: Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Jul 24, 2009
Observation date: Jun 09, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Crystal Kenney)
Region: Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner (Roger Downer)
Verified date: Jul 24, 2009
Observation date: May 25, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Annie Chace)
Region: Passaic County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HDMcGuinness)
Verified date: Jul 24, 2009
Observation date: May 31, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Arie Gilbert)
Region: Orange County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HDMcGuinness)
Verified date: Jul 24, 2009
Observation date: Jun 14, 2009
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Joseph M Scheiderich)
Region: Oneida County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HDMcGuinness)
Verified date: Jul 24, 2009
Observation date: Jun 11, 2007
Submitted by: H.D. McGuinness (H.D. McGuinness)
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (H.D. McGuinness)
Verified date: Jul 08, 2009
Observation date: Apr 05, 2009
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Region: Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman (Curt Lehman)
Verified date: May 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 06, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Cindy Temple)
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HDMcGuinness)
Verified date: Apr 24, 2009
Observation date: Jul 15, 2008
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Luke McCarron)
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: H.D. McGuinness (HDMcGuinness)
Verified date: Apr 24, 2009
Observation date: Jun 01, 1990
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Winkler, George)
Region: Douglas County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Winkler, George)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Feb 14, 1987
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Koenig, Phillip E.)
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Koenig, Phillip E.)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: May 15, 1996
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Winkler, George)
Region: Jefferson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Winkler, George)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jan 01, 1939
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Taney County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Kite, Vitae)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Feb 26, 1995
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: St. Charles County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Thoma, Richard S.)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: May 18, 1997
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (park staff, et. al.)
Region: Lincoln County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Koenig, Phillip E.)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Brower, A.E.)
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Brower, A.E.)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jan 01, 1980
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Heinrich, Don)
Region: St. Charles County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Heitzman, J.R.)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
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