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 97 - 120 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 20, 2021
Submitted by: joelim
Region: Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 20, 2021
Observation date: Apr 09, 2021
Submitted by: KNaftel
Region: Morgan County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 11, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2020
Submitted by: b_hartwell
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 22, 2021
Observation date: Jun 09, 2020
Submitted by: Swallowtail47
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 22, 2021
Observation date: Jun 18, 2017
Submitted by: molliestraub
Region: Aroostook County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 08, 2021
Observation date: Jun 17, 2019
Submitted by: cman3002
Region: Cumberland County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Feb 23, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: cmi2000
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Feb 23, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2018
Submitted by: clifhiker
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 04, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2019
Submitted by: Josh Sellers
Region: Van Buren County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 03, 2021
Observation date: Apr 20, 2019
Submitted by: momonami
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 02, 2021
Observation date: Jul 09, 2020
Submitted by: Lennie C
Region: Ottawa County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: Jul 13, 2020
Submitted by: greenhouse
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: Melissa Keryn
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: Sep 04, 2020
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Marion County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 27, 2021
Observation date: Apr 10, 2011
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Polk County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 25, 2021
Observation date: Jul 30, 2019
Submitted by: Browsing4me2
Region: Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2015
Submitted by: adkconn
Region: Windsor County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 30, 2020
Observation date: May 21, 2019
Submitted by: Davidmrohde
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 26, 2020
Observation date: Jun 29, 2020
Submitted by: Lothar3465
Region: Dakota County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Dec 22, 2020
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: lindasbutterflies
Region: Windham County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 20, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: David A. Burack
Region: Chittenden County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Tom Clark
Verified date: Dec 17, 2020
Observation date: Jun 05, 2020
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 15, 2020
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: Sandram81@hotma...
Region: New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 15, 2020
Observation date: May 05, 2015
Submitted by: sam_hartzler
Region: Sevier County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 11, 2020
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