Callosamia promethea
| Promethea Silkmoth | |
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| Male | |
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C. promethea
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| Callosamia promethea Drury, 1773
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The Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea), is a member of the Saturniidae family of moths.
Description
Males have dark brownish-black wings with a faint white postmedian line and pinkish coloring near the apical spot. Females are bright reddish-pink or a brownish color with well-developed reniform spots. Both sexes have tannish marginal borders. Their wingspan measures 7.5-9.5 cm.
Range
C. promethea is found in the eastern half of the United States and lower parts of eastern Canada.
Life cycle
Mating takes place in the afternoon to early evening, and egg-laying begins at night. Females are attracted to lights, but males are not. Females lay 2-12 eggs in a single cluster on host plants. The early instar larvae feed together on the underside of leaves. They are greenish-yellow and striped with black. The older larvae are solitary and are green with 4 red knobs above the thorax and 1 yellow knob on the eighth abdominal segment. On the lower branches of the food plant, the larva makes a cocoon within a leaf, firmly attaching the petiole to the branch. C. promethea has 1 brood in the north (which flies from June–July) and 2 or more broods in the south (which fly from March–May and from July–August).
Food Plants
The larvae of C. promethea feed on a variety of plants including- but not restricted to- the following:
- Acer, (maple)
- Diospyros, (persimmon)
- Fraxinus americana, (white ash)
- Kalmia, (laurel)
- Lindera benzoin, (spicebush)
- Liriodendron tulipifera, (tulip tree)
- Malus, (apple)
- Pinus, (pine)
- Populus, (poplar)
- Prunus persica, (peach)
- Prunus serotina, (wild black cherry)
- Pyrus, (pear)
- Quercus, (oak)
- Rhododendron
- Salix, (willow)
- Sassafras
- Syringa, (lilac)
- Tilia, (basswood)
Gallery
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Pupa
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Adult
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Adult
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References
- David L. Wagner 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. ISBN 0-691-12143-5
- Charles V. Covell, Jr. 2005. Moths of Eastern North America. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia. ISBN 1-884549-21-7
External links
- Callosamia promethea, Butterflies & Moths of North America
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