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by Lydia Holley September 20, 2021
Not the largest moth in Texas, but close, the Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) made a brief appearance at my house this past weekend. It has a wingspan of up to six inches, with a fat body and thick legs. The one at my house was a female. It was easy to determine this because its antennae did not have the bushy plumes like the males have. The females emit pheromones so the males can find them. They do not have long to find each other. Polyphemus moths only live about four days.
One of the large silk moths, native to the United States, Polyphemus caterpillars go through five instars; but in its latest instar, it is bright green and resembles a tomato hornworm (which turn into a sphinx moth) except they have tiny colorful stripes. During one of the instars, it also has a miniature red head on its green body.
On the moths, two eyespots are located on each forewing, and two larger eyespots are on each hindwing. These eyespots are what gives the Polyphemus moth their name—after the giant cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and blinded by Odysseus.
The caterpillars will eat from a wide variety of trees and shrubs, and in Texas, these moths have two broods, one in spring and one in fall. As caterpillars, they are ravenous, but the adult moths do not eat. They have numerous predators: ants, raccoons, squirrels, yellow jackets, and wasps. Woodpeckers have been known to attack the cocoons.
I hope the Polyphemus moth seen at my house finds a mate and has many eggs. It was exciting to see such a large specimen and it would be an incredible sight to see several of these moths in flight.
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