#antheraea polyphemus

[organicmatter]

first polyphemus moth came out of her cocoon last night :)

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

I remember this night. This night was a good night.

(Polyphemus moth, Antheraea polyphemus - there are at least 4 insect orders in this photo, can you spot them all?)

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

Range: Found across continental North America

[saturniidays]

Look at this gorgeous girl I found the other day

[thedisablednaturalist]

WHO DID THIS

[biojac]

Nine images of moths local to Peterborough, ON.

Nikon D750

Nikkor 60mm f2.8

[brothfan1997]

pinned my antheraea polyphemus moth specimen that i found in 2020 last night!! a beautiful boy he turned out perfectly

[gatorpond]

big boy, fuzzy variation

polyphemus moth (antheraea polyphemus)

[paledoptera]

draw a moth every day challenge

forgot to do one yesterday lol here's two shitty polyphemus moths

(daily moth doodle 43 and 44/366)

[hotsuinyamato]

also found a beautiful polyphemus moth yesterday evening ❤️

[organicmatter]

absolute fatties - Antheraea polyphemus

[vynive]

baby has emerged

[snickeringdragon]

AH MOTH ALERT

[timandmau]

A couple of bugs for your viewing pleasure

Polyphemus Moth and a weevil

[libraryofmoths]

Moth of the Week

Polyphemus Moth

Antheraea polyphemus

This moth is another member of the Saturniidae family, or the great silk moth family. The Polyphemus moth gets its name from the eyespots on its wings and the Greek myth of the cyclops Polyphemus. This species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776.

Description Polyphemus moths come in many varying shades of brown and gray with pink, white, and black accents. These accents are called the “ante-medial” and “post-medial” lines on the forewings while the hindwings have only the “post-medial” lines. Along the lower edges of both the forewings and the hindwings, called the “outer margin,” is a large band which may vary in color based on the moth but is usually a lighter shade than the rest of the wing. Despite differences in color, all Polyphemus moths have four yellow and black eyespots, 2 on the forewings and 2 on the hindwings. The hindwings’ eyespots are more prominent than the ones on the forewings, being larger and having a thicker outline. The centers of the spots are transparent.

Average Wingspan: 15 cm (6 in)

Females have larger bodies for egg laying

Males have large antennae to detect female pheromones (type: quadripectinate, comb-like)

Diet and Habitat The larvae eat the leaves of beech trees, birch trees, oak trees, maple trees, willow trees, and a large range of other trees. Adult moths have smaller mouths and do not eat.

These moths have a very large habitat range, being found in all of continental North America, except for northern Canada, Nevada, and Arizona. The eggs are laid in deciduous hardwood forests, wetlands and orchards.

Mating When the female moths release their mating pheromones, males can fly miles to find them. Mating usually occurs at night in early summer and lasts 24 hours. Once finished, a female will lay 100 to 300 eggs, which the caterpillars will hatch from in 10 days.

Predators Polyphemus moth caterpillars, larvae, and pupae are prey to yellowjackets, ants, raccoons and squirrels. Adult moths use the owl like eyespots on their wings to scare off predators.

Fun Fact The Polyphemus moth caterpillar can eat 86,000 times its weight when it leaves its egg in a little less than two months.

(Source: Wikipedia, Animal Diversity Web, Animal Spot, and University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology Department)

[aphermion]

Antheraea polyphemus, Xylaria hypoxylon