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Antheraea polyphemus, the Polyphemus moth, is a North American member of the family Saturniidae, the giant silk moths. It is a tan-colored moth, with an average wingspan of 15 cm (6 in). The most notable feature of the moth is its large, purplish eyespots on its two hindwings.
Eggs of polyphemus moth, Antheraea polyphemus (Cramer). Photograph by Donald W. Hall, University of Florida. Larvae: Packard (1914) provided detailed descriptions of the eggs and each of the five larval instars and color drawings of instars 1 to 4.
As adults (moths), polyphemus moths live a maximum of only 4 days. Their entire life cycle averages about 3 months in length. This includes about 10 days as eggs, 5 to 6 weeks as larvae, 2 weeks as pupa, and about 4 days as adults.
As a caterpillar, the Polyphemus Moth can eat 86,000 times its weight. The luna and Polyphemus moth caterpillars are often confused for the other due to a similarity in appearance. Yet, they have visible differences. The larvae of the luna moth have smooth head capsules green or dark brown in color. In the Polyphemus moth, the capsules are ...
3 wrz 2023 · The life cycle of a Polyphemus moth starts as little, light brown eggs on the leaves of their host trees. These eggs are easily recognizable as they are slightly flattened and look like brown Oreo cookies. Polyphemus caterpillar can measure up to 2.9 inches. When the eggs hatch, the tiny caterpillars are yellow.
Once the caterpillars pupate, the larvae themselves pupate, killing the Polyphemus pupa. The Compsilura concinnata tachinid fly, introduced to North America to control the spongy moth, is one particular known threat to the North American native Polyphemus moth.
The Polyphemus moth is unlikely to be confused with other moths due to the combination of very large size, tan dorsal color, and clear eyespots. Our only other giant silkworm moths of similar size and shape are darker red-brown and lack clear eyespots. Larvae. The larve has a large bright green body, with the base of the setae red in coloration.
