About Callosamia promethea Drury, 1773
Callosamia promethea, commonly called the promethea silkmoth, is a species in the family Saturniidae, a group that contains around 2,300 species overall. It is also known as the spicebush silkmoth, a name that references one of its most common host plants, spicebush (Lindera benzoin). This species is classified as a silk moth because it produces silk to build its cocoon. First described by Dru Drury in 1773, C. promethea lives in forests across the eastern United States and does not cause damage to the trees it lives on. After hatching from eggs, caterpillars feed on their host plants before pupating, hanging from trees to overwinter. Once adults emerge, they mate during a specific window of the day. Females release pheromones to attract males for mating, and both sexes mate multiple times. C. promethea is the only species in its family where males and females are active at different times of day: males are active during the day (diurnal), while females are active at night (nocturnal). Their activity periods only overlap for a few hours in the early evening. To protect themselves from predators, male promethea silkmoths are mimics of the poisonous pipevine swallowtail butterfly. The species' range covers the entire east coast of the United States, extending west to the Great Plains, and it inhabits deciduous forests.
