Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

1 July 2004   10:50PM EST  (top)
1 July 2003   11:26PM EST  (second from top)
1 July 2004   10:49PM EST  (third from top, left)
18 June 2004   10:17PM EST  (third from top, right)
5 July 2003   10:50PM EST  (bottom left)  (male)
15 July 2004   10:40PM EST  (bottom right)  (female)
The photo at top and the photo third from the top at the left are of the same specimen.

Antheraea polyphemus, commonly called the Polyphemus Moth, is one of about 10 species of Saturniidae recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001).  The Saturniidae, variously termed the Giant Silkworm or Royal Moths include our largest and some of our most spectacular moths.

Antheraea polyphemus is somewhat variable in color, but with very consistent markings.  In both male and female, the ground color of the wings is generally described as varying from reddish to yellowish brown.  The medial area of the wing is defined by a red antemedial line bordered with white along the inside, and by a blackish postmedial line bordered with white (sometimes pinkish) along the outside.  A narrow band of brown speckled with gray to black scale runs along the costa, and the outer half of the median is often also speckled with gray to black scales.  The basal area and the yellowish band along the outer margin usually have no speckling, and are lighter in color than the median.  The forewing has a small "eye" with a transparent center in the median, and a pair of black marks followed by pink and white near the apex.  The hindwing has a blackish "googly eye", rimmed in blue and yellow, with a transparent center, and a wonderful three-dimensional appearance.  The underside of the wing is also patterned, as can be seen in the two photos at bottom.  The male and female have different antennae, the male antennae being large and broadly feathered, while the female antennae are smaller and narrower.  The wingspan ranges from 10 to 15 cm (Covell, 1984).

According to Handfield (1999), the larvae of Antheraea polyphemus have been reported to feed on many trees and shrubs, especially white birch, but also willow, alder, maple, poplar, hop hornbeam, oak, beech, dogwood, basswood, elm, cherry, hawthorn and many others. For my general area, he indicates an adult flight season from mid-May into the first days of August.

My records to date for Antheraea polyphemus (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: