Actual ranges may, in many cases, be more expansive than noted. There are some species indicated that may now be extirpated.
Clicking on a scientific name will take you to a file with pictures and/or information.
Meena Harribal confirms Dryocampa rubicunda in Ithaca, Tompkins County, July 7, 2010.
Randy Lyttle reports a Callosamia angulifera at lights in Wayne County, June 9, 2008. He also reports C. promethia, June 6; A. polyphemus, June 8th. Steve Daniel reports four male polyphemus at lights, May 23, 2007, Pittsford, Monroe County.
Non-member Shannon Opey reports a live male Hyalophora cecropia from North Tonawanda, on the border of Niagara and Erie County, May 25, 2004.
Non-member Nancy DeVries, Monroe County, Rochester, N.Y., May 18, 2004, confirms Hyalophora cecropia with adult emergence from found larva. The cocoon had been brought indoors, probably hastening eclosion by a week or two.
Non-member Gary Fishbaugh, Cattaraugus County, sent me an image of Actias luna "shot June 3, 2003, at Portville in western NY, and an image of Hyalophora cecropia on June 10."
Non-member James Castle, Wolcott (Wayne County) sent me an image of a mature cecropia caterpillar, August 24, 2005.
On August 22, 2012, Denise Switzer sent me the Eacles imperialis pini larval image to the right. The larva was spotted in Forestport, Oneida County, New York, August 22, 2012. This is a first report of pini so far south in New York.I suspect that previous reports of Eacles imperialis imperialis in nearby and slightly more northern and northwesterly counties of Lewis and Jefferson are actually of subspecies pini. |  |
September 11, 2011, non-member Rachel Dingman sends an image of prepupal Eacles imperialis pini from Plattsburgh, Clinton County. She writes, "I live in upstate New York (Plattsburgh) and found this guy in the road while walking. I live in a very wooded area. This caterpillar is about three inches long, tanish with a greenish belly. It is as wide as my thumb and has white raised bumps down its body and a light spattering of white hair. I have no idea what eats. We have in in a big tupperware bowl ful of grass until the morning when we will let it go back outside. (My five year old son is very amazed with it as am I since I can't find a pictur eof it on the web. Any ideas? Your website by the way is wonderful! Any help you could throw our way would be greatly appreciated!!"
June 23, 2009: Linda Miner here and I live in Queensbury, (Warren County) NY, and I found a large Antheraea polyphemus on my outside porch screen.
John V. Irion indicates, "For Warren county. Anisota senatoria, Dryocampa rubicunda, Callosamia promethea, Hyalophora cecropia, Antheraea polyphemus and Actias luna are all here also. I haven't gotten Eacles yet but I believe they probably are. I'll let you know when they are confirmed.
Lydia Wright, who earlier indicated Hyalophora columbia fly in Franklin County, confirms Actias luna and states, "I have also observed Antheraea polyphemus, Hyalophora cecropia and Callosamia promethea.
Liana Mahoney writes, "I can attest with certainty that there are populations of imperial, luna, polyphemus, and cecropia moths in Lewis County, as I have taken many of them at lights, and/or my students have brought them in to my classroom."
Southeastern New York
Member Bob Muller writes, "Reporting wild promethea males coming to caged females 6/1, 6/8 and 6/10. Otsego county, NY.
Couplings 6/1 and 1/10.
Males fly in the 3-4 PM range around here."
Colleen Wolpert reports an Actias luna male in Apalachin, Tioga County, June 2, 2011.
Karl A. Wilson reports A. io on the wing in Endicott, Broome County, June 3, 2010.
Jeremy Laratro confirms Antheraea polyphemus in Nassau County. Jeremy writes, "I find them every year, here in Lido and Long Beach (June 24, 2008)."
Bill Evans reports Dryocampa rubicunda in Tompkins County, May 31, 2007
Bob Grosek writes, May 28, 2004: "This week was a good week for Silk Moths. At work I spotted an Io Moth and a Luna Moth. This week a friend found a Polyphemus Moth as well as both a male and female Promethea Moth!" in Binghamton (Broome County).
Jesse Hoteling writes, "I lived near the border of Broome and Chenango counties, and I have seen Automeris io, Dryocampa rubicunda, Hyalophora cecropia, Actias luna and Antheraea polyphemus in both of those counties.
Bruce Feller, Suffolk County, writes,"I have
observed and collected sats in this county for forty-five years.
Currently, I can confirm the presence of the below listed species in
Suffolk through wild male fly-ins to tied females:
C. promethea, H. cecropia, A. polyphemus and A. luna.
Historically, I can confirm the presence of A. io, E. imperialis
and C. regalis through wild collected adults at light.
I believe that imperialis and regalis are largely
absent at this time and that io may exist in small, highly
localized populations. I can also report an interesting phenomenon,
which occurred last year, in response to a tied female angulifera
in the presence of a caged, calling promethea. I was
attempting to obtain the cross when I was astounded to observe and
secure a wild male angulifera at about 9:00 p.m. There is
little tulip poplar in the area and despite this event, I remain
doubtful about the presence of angulifera in Suffolk County.
Bruce confirms C. angulifera for Suffolk County,
July 12, 2004.Eacles imperialis has been reported on Long Island by Hugh McInnis 2000-2012??
I cannot comment on Anisota, Dryocampa, Hemileuca or Sphingicampa
as I have never actively pursued these varieties. In closing let me
add that cecropia appear to be at the point of extirpation in
some locations in Suffolk County but there are clearly some isolated
populations. The only other observation I would offer deals with
Samia cynthia which I believe no longer exists in wild
populations in our area, i.e., Queens, Brooklyn, etc. I have
collected this species over four decades and the last encounter was
in the mid-1980's in Manhattan. Repeated attempts since to attract
wild male fly-ins to caged females in traditional haunts have all
failed. I am aware, however, that the presence of cynthia
in the wild continues to be actively debated by collectors in this
area. To my knowledge it never existed in Suffolk County.
I'd like to confirm the S. cynthia in Dutchess Co., probably
in one of the cities (Beacon or Poughkeepsie?) along the Hudson River.
Also, I suspect C. angulifera occurs in several other counties
up the Hudson (Putnam and Ulster at least), since tuliptree is fairly
common there. Promethea almost certainly occurs in
Columbia Co., though I have not yet found it there.
I hope this gets people searching, as there are obvious gaps to
be filled in. Also, some of these records are historical (e.g.
C. regalis records north of Long Island), and the species may
no longer occur in some counties where it has occurred in the past.
There should be a way of marking these as historical, not current. He has not seen
Automeris io in his immediate area.
Rich Coons (May 17, 2003) writes, "I have lived in
Germantown, Columbia County, for 54 years.
This is in southern Columbia County and my list applies to both
Columbia County and northern Dutchess County as we collect there as
well. We began
seriously collecting and rearing moths and butterflies in our
neighborhood when we were about 14.
"The most unusual moth I've caught is a Black Witch, Ascalapha
odorata, at Bard College tennis courts.
"The most unusual butterfly is the Regal Fritillary,
Speyeria idalia. We caught one in about 1960. Have never
seen another.
"I have noticed an increase in the number of moths since the 60's.
It may be due to the decline in fruit farming in our area. I have no
real data to back this up, but we kept a moth trap going and would
travel the lights in our village on foot and then by car as we grew
up. It was pretty rare at that time to see or catch a cecropia,
luna or polyphemus.
"Anisota virginiensis, Automeris io, Callosamia angulifera,
Callosamia promethea, Hyalophora cecropia, Actias luna and
Antheraea polyphemus fly in Dutchess County and in Columbia
County."
Jennie Stahl sent me an image of a male luna from Otsego County, June 4, 2003. Two days later (June 6, 2003) she sent an image of an Antheraea polyphemus male.
It is quite likely that Citheronia regalis and Samia cynthia are no longer present in Dutchess and Columbia counties.
Taylor Jones writes, "Bill:
Examining the website map for southeastern New York,
I noticed that the
symbol for polyphemus was absent from Richmond County
(Staten Island). Since
my family returned to Staten island, in 1998, we have found
polyphemus
adults and/or caterpillars each year on the island's North Shore,
which has thousands of mature oak trees. In June of 2000, while
raking the lawn, I accidentally disturbed a pair of mating
polyphemus in some bushes. The male
took off, but we retrieved the female and released her in a
nearby park.
P.S. Back when I disturbed that pair of polyphemus, a thought occurred to me
(which I might have shared with you in an earlier message):
In places such as Staten Island, the chief threat to polyphemus
and luna
populations may well be the leaf blower. While my wife and I continue
to
conduct lawn maintenance the old-fashioned way -- by hand, and not
being
fastidious about the shrubs -- lawn crews invade our neigborhood
each week,
from March through October, removing every speck of leaf debris,
etc., from
around trees, bushes and foundations for at least half the homes.
Replay
this scene by the thousands across the island, and one can only
imagine the
loss of life among six-legged and four-legged creatures
(and perhaps garter
snakes), including caterpillars that spin their cocoons in
leaf litter or
pupate underground."
Taylor Jones reports a luna pairing, caged female
with a wild male, May 5, 2005, Staten Island, Richmond County, temp
around 48F.
Taylor reports a cecropia pairing with a wild male, May 22, 2005.
Callosamia promethea, wild male pairing with caged female, Staten Island, May 20, 2009, courtesy of Taylor Jones.
"Not sure what schedule my promethea are going to keep this year (2008)? Nine of my cocoons were from a second brood. The late pairing occurred on July 29, and I have no idea whether this will delay eclosure times this season?"
Ernie De Marie writes, August 20, 2005, "I can confirm that polyphemus moths exist
in this area of suburban NY (Westchester County) in reasonable
abundance based on wild males attracted to caged females I put out
in June. Note that I did set out a number of excess caterpillars
in the local park along the Bronx River the year before, but I doubt
they would have come in the numbers I saw.
"Once I found about half a dozen promethea moth cocoons on a
spicebush in the park (about 4 or 5 years ago), but when I took
them home only small black and red parasitic wasps hatched out
(and promptly got fed to my carnivorous plants).
"I tried to attract male luna moths with females that hatched out in
June, but was unsuccessful until on one crazy night I went with
my wife Grace and friend Andrew further north to Patterson NY (Putnam County).
We took a caged female and pulled over near a swamp and woods on a
country road, set the small cage on the hood of the car, and around
one in the morning sure enough one male flew onto the hood. So lunas
exist further north, but may have problems in the more
suburban/urban area in which we live."
Non-member Ed Komperda (Chenango County) writes (June 2, 2006), "Since May 25th, the following moths have been attracted to my light trap. A. polyphemus, H. cecropia (with help of calling females, I have lots of eggs), C. promethea female (4 of them but none with ova)." Non-member Karl A. Wilson confirms Automeris io for Broome County June 5, 2006.
Member Bob Muller writes, "Reporting wild promethea males coming to caged females 6/1, 6/8 and 6/10. Otsego county, NY.
Couplings 6/1 and 1/10.
Males fly in the 3-4 PM range around here."
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