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 601 - 624 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Horsfall, J.)
Region: Wright County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jan 01, 1977
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Fortner, Annie)
Region: New Madrid County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Phillip Koenig; Heitzman, J.R.)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Apr 21, 1985
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Wayne County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
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
Observation date: May 03, 1953
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Gawn, A.S.W.)
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 27, 1929
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Rowley, R.R.)
Region: Pike County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 02, 1990
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Douglas County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 10, 1983
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Ste Genevieve County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Apr 25, 1987
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Barry County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jul 27, 1983
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Mississippi County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 10, 1983
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Stoddard County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (?)
Region: Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Mar 04, 1953
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Gann, Alvin)
Region: St. Francois County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 03, 2002
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Letsinger, Rae)
Region: Jasper County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Apr 14, 1930
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (O'Byrne, H.I.)
Region: Jefferson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jul 21, 1985
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Ste Genevieve County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Aug 15, 1990
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Barry County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 06, 1888
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Rowley, R.R.)
Region: Pike County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Aug 16, 1972
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Mar 08, 1953
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Gann, Alvin)
Region: St. Francois County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Washington County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Aug 13, 1940
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Craig, W.S.)
Region: Mississippi County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
Observation date: Jun 16, 1903
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Heink, C.L.)
Region: St. Louis City County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 05, 2009
- ‹ previous
- 26 of 37
- next ›