polyphemus moth

Polyphemus moth is a common, extra large, giant silkworm moth. With a wingspan of 4″ to 6″ it is one of the two largest moths native to North America. Females are larger than males.

Wing coloration is highly variable. The upperside of the wings is various shades of reddish-brown to yellowish-brown. The median area is dusted with black. The submarginal area is pale. Each wing has a pink, white and black subterminal line and a transparent eyespot in the median area.

The leading edge of the forewing (costal margin) is whitish and dusted with black. The line separating the basal and median areas on the forewing (antemedial line) is pink, white, dark reddish-brown, and black. The eyespot is small and oval. It is ringed with a broad yellow line and a thin black line. There is a blue crescent on the inner edge.

The eyespot on the hindwing is similar but larger and more conspicuous. It is in the middle of a large, round to irregular, black patch. A thin pink line separates the black patch from the basal area.

There are no mouth parts and no hearing organs. Males have feather-like antennae with branches on both sides of the central axis. Females have smaller, less bushy antennae.

The caterpillar is bright green, plump, and up to 3″ long. There is usually a steeply oblique yellow line that passes through the breathing holes (spiracles) of abdominal segments 2 through 7 (A2–A7). On A1–A7 there six warts, on thoracic segments 2 and 3 (T2 and T3) there eight warts. There is one wart on each side of the dorsal midline (addorsal), one above the spiracle (supraspiracular), and one below the spiracle (subspiracular). T1 to T3 also have a wart just above each leg-like structure (proleg). The addorsal and supraspiracular warts on the abdomen are flashy silver and red. The subspiracular warts on the abdomen and all of the warts on the thorax are mostly orange and lack silver. Each wart has 2 to 5 minute, white, bristle-like hairs (setae). The prolegs are green. The anal plate is dark and continues as a line across A9. T1 is short and collar-like with a flat, yellow front edge. The head is orangish-brown and is partially withdrawn into T1.

Mature caterpillars can be found from late May through November.

Wingspan: 4″ to 6″

Luna moth (Actius luna) caterpillar is similar. A1–A7 have a yellow transverse line near the trailing edge of each segment, not passing through the spiracle.

Deciduous hardwood forests, urban areas, suburbs, agricultural fields, orchards, wetlands

One brood: Late May to July

Adults are attracted to lights.

This moth is short-lived, lasting only 4 days, since it has no mouth parts and does not feed. In Minnesota there is one generation per year. The adults emerges in the spring and finds a mate on the night of the same day it emerged from the cocoon. The male uses its specialized antennae to detect pheromones released by the female. After breeding, the female lays up to 5 eggs either singly or in groups of 2 or 3 on either side of a leaf of a host shrub or tree. The eggs are flattened and light brown.

The eggs hatch in about 10 days. The larvae are solitary feeders. They molt 5 times in 5 to 6 weeks before pupating. In late summer or early fall the caterpillar spins a cocoon in which it will spend the winter. Many caterpillars descend to the ground and spin their cocoon in leaf litter. Most others spin their cocoon in a leaf attached to the host plant, which falls to the ground at the end of the season. In the south some cocoons remain attached to the host plant.

Leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs; especially members of the birch, rose, and willow families; but also apple, ash, dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, maple and oak.

Adults do not feed.

Sources

21, 24, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

Common

Laid its eggs on an Iris leaf. Photos by me: Matthew Borchert. Have many more on my Facebook page.

Moth visits Merck chemical processing plant control room. Cools off on labtop fan

Found in a potted basil plant. Immediately spreads wings wide when disturbed.

being careful on our bug zapper!

Polyphemus moth?

Is the cocoon for the Polyphemus moth?

I am in South Texas. I keep trying finding these on my peach tree. This is the first year I have seen these.

Note: it has a dried leaf stuck on the hair like fibers?

found outside my job this morning, Over 5 in Long, when trying to relocate it to a tree or something it could not fly it would go up two or three times and then falls flat down. Attaching two photos!

Polyphemus cocoon?

I thought I'd send this your way and see what you thought. I found it among a pile of pinecone scales (squirrels are messy eaters lol) my mom had raked up from under our pine trees. There is a large oak tree just feet away from the pine trees so that's why I'm thinking it's a polyphemus moth cocoon. I'm in Austin, MN - Mower county. It seems early but I'd guess it's ready to overwinter? Let me know what you think. I'm thinking of keeping it in a container in the garage to see what emerges.

laying on the shop floor for hours till it flew away. Crazy how large they are.

This giant moth was hanging on screen of screen door this morning!

I found your website when I was trying to identify this moth on our porch...it’s definitely a Polyphemus moth. Very cool! Just wanted to let you know because we live in Isanti County and I see that you haven’t identified them as being seen here yet. Now you can!

Polyphemus Moth - Hodges#7757 (Antheraea polyphemus)
Andree Reno Sanborn

Antheraea polyphemus (Polyphemus Moth)
Allen Chartier

Antheraea polyphemus (Polyphemus Moth)
Jun 28, 2019

Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) Close-up
Carl Barrentine

Giant Green Caterpillar (Antheraea polyphemus) crawling HD
joe pompili

Polyphemus Moth Lifecycle
LOBAM!

Polyphemus Moth (female)
Carol Snow Milne

Matthew Borchert
5/27/2024

Location: Lac qui Parle County Mn, near Marietta

Laid its eggs on an Iris leaf. Photos by me: Matthew Borchert. Have many more on my Facebook page.

Location: EMD Electronics, Tamaqua, PA

Moth visits Merck chemical processing plant control room. Cools off on labtop fan

Location: Burnsville, MN

Found in a potted basil plant. Immediately spreads wings wide when disturbed.

Location: Albany MN

Location: South Texas

Is the cocoon for the Polyphemus moth?

I am in South Texas. I keep trying finding these on my peach tree. This is the first year I have seen these.

Note: it has a dried leaf stuck on the hair like fibers?

Yes, this appears to be a polyphemus moth cocoon.

Location: Davis, OK

found outside my job this morning, Over 5 in Long, when trying to relocate it to a tree or something it could not fly it would go up two or three times and then falls flat down. Attaching two photos!

Location: Austin, MN - Mower County

I thought I'd send this your way and see what you thought. I found it among a pile of pinecone scales (squirrels are messy eaters lol) my mom had raked up from under our pine trees. There is a large oak tree just feet away from the pine trees so that's why I'm thinking it's a polyphemus moth cocoon. I'm in Austin, MN - Mower county. It seems early but I'd guess it's ready to overwinter? Let me know what you think. I'm thinking of keeping it in a container in the garage to see what emerges.

It looks just like the images of a polyphemus moth cocoon retrieved by a Google search.

Location: Long Prairie, Mn

laying on the shop floor for hours till it flew away. Crazy how large they are.

Location: Edina, MN

I believe they are mating...

Mikequan Garrett
5/23/2020

Location: Minneapolis Minnesota

was sitting on the porch for 2 days

Location: New Hope, MN

This thing is giant and incredible!

Location: Hennepin (Sibley Park in South Minneapolis)

Location: Woodbury / Afton border

This giant moth was hanging on screen of screen door this morning!

Location: Bloomington MN near 494 and France.

They are mating.

Location: 55417 Minneapolis, MINNESOTA

Location: Avon, MN, Stearns County

This is huge!

Location: Albany MN

being careful on our bug zapper!

Location: Sakahta State Park- LeSeur County

Location: Glenwood MN, Pope County

Location: Isanti County

I found your website when I was trying to identify this moth on our porch...it’s definitely a Polyphemus moth. Very cool! Just wanted to let you know because we live in Isanti County and I see that you haven’t identified them as being seen here yet. Now you can!

Location: Eagan, Minnesota

Location: Saint Paul, MN

Location: St. Louis Co MN