Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008
 
Photos from the gathering
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Bombycoidea » Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths (Saturniidae) » Silkmoths (Saturniinae) » Saturniini » Antheraea » Polyphemus Moth - Hodges#7757 (Antheraea polyphemus)
Photo#22350
Large Hairy Moth with Silkmoth-like Antennae - Antheraea polyphemus
Copyright © 2005 hjyou

Large Hairy Moth with Silkmoth-like Antennae - Antheraea polyphemus
Schoodic (in the vicinity of Acadia National Park at Schoodic), Maine, USA
June 10, 2005
Size: as photo
The photo was taken late in the morning.
The moth didn't stir as I took the photo.
I thought it was a large butterfly until I got close to it and saw that it was hairy.
It looked like tarantula with wings.

The antennae resemble that of silkmoths'.
It has a large fan-shaped antennae.
Each antenna has a stem and smaller strands branch out from it.
the strands are longest at the middle section of the stem.
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by hjyou on 28 June, 2005 - 11:14pm
Last updated 2 July, 2005 - 6:41am

Thank you
Clifford and Matthew:

Thank you for your help in identifying the polyphemus moth.
… hjyou, 29 June, 2005 - 6:04pm login or register to post comments

Did it have four "eyes" on it
Did it have four "eyes" on its wings?

That's a big help in id.

Size, too. Polyphemus is one of the biggest moths I've ever seen, almost scary to stumble across in the dark, especially after a spring of nothing but little pyralids.

My Polyphemus hung around his night spot all through the morning, too, as yours apparently did.
… Clifford, 29 June, 2005 - 12:09pm login or register to post comments

 
RE: eyes on the wings
I couldn't tell whether it had four eyes on the wing.
The moth just sat there like it did in the picture the whole time.
… hjyou, 29 June, 2005 - 2:15pm login or register to post comments

Moth
Looks like a Polyphemus Moth to me. I have only gotten one Silkworm moth for my collection so far. I guess it is because we don't live near the woods. Do you?
… Matthew Roth, 29 June, 2005 - 7:25am login or register to post comments

 
RE: woods
It was found at a bed and breakfast located next to a coastline in Maine.
Yes, there was the typical Maine woods near it (with lots of mosquitos).
… hjyou, 29 June, 2005 - 2:19pm login or register to post comments

 
Mosquitos
Boy, do I know about Maine's mosquitos! We were up there last August and there were mosquitos everywhere. After we went to NH it seemed that there were not as many.
… Matthew Roth, 29 June, 2005 - 5:51pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2009 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact