A giant really with a wingspan of 115 mm (~4.5 inches). This is one of the giant silkworm moths known as Antheraea polyphemus. It arrived at my porch light at about 12:30 AM on June 13. So I took a lot of photos then went inside and turned out the light. At dawn it was still there but had fallen from the screen door so I set it on a tarp covered box and placed a small footstool over it for safety. By early afternoon the moth had flown away. I seldom see these large moths, including their larvae, although they are said to be widespread and common. I’m wondering what tonight will bring since I plan on staying up late again.

 

 

Description
A. polyphemus is a distinctive moth species. Apart from its large size the most obvious features are the four eyespots on the wings. There are two small spots on the forewings and two larger ones on the hindwings. The spots on the hindwings are the largest and most brightly colored with a deep black outline surrounding a deep blue interior dusted with many small white specks. at the bottom of the eyespot is an almond-shaped yellow spot with a translucent center. The eyepsots on the upper wings are very much like these yellow spots but with a thin black line enclosing them. The background color of the wings varies individually but is generally a pinkish cinnamon color often dusted with small black specks. Wing margins are separated from the rest of the wing by dark and light-colored bands. The scales on the body, legs, and near the points where the wings attach are long and look like hairs. The moth shown has feathery antennae (used to detect female pheromones) which means it is a male. Females have thinner antennae.

Range
A. polyphemus occurs over most of north America from southern Canada (except Newfoundland) to Mexico and coast to coast in the US.

Larval Hosts
The larvae of A. polyphemus feed on the leaves a variety of deciduous trees and shrubs including oak (Quercus spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.), grape (Vitis spp.), maple (Acer spp.), birch (Betula spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), and willow (Salix spp.).

Taxonomy
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Bombycoidea (Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths)
Family Saturniidae (Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths)
Subfamily Saturniinae (Silkmoths)
Tribe Saturniini
Genus/species Antheraea polyphemus

 

SOURCES

Beadle, D. and Leckie, S. (2012). Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Boston. 640 pages.

Species Antheraea polyphemus – Polyphemus Moth – Hodges#7757 at the Bug Guide website.

890070.00 – 7757 – Antheraea polyphemus – Polyphemus Moth – (Cramer, 1776) at the Moth Photographers Group website.