Naming
The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.It is also known as the spicebush silkmoth, which refers to is one of the promethea silkmoth's common host plants, spicebush.
Distribution
The range of ''C. promethea'' extends the length of the east coast of the United States and west to the Great Plains. ''C. promethea'' is found in deciduous forests.
Status
''C. promethea'' is not endangered and there are no specific management practices in place to maintain or control the species.While these moths do live on many species of trees as a caterpillar they are not reported to cause any noticeable damage to their host trees.
Behavior
''C. promethea'' hatches from eggs and feeds on its host plants before pupating while hanging from trees during the winter. It then emerges and mates during a specific time of day. The females utilize pheromones to attract males for mating, with both sexes mating multiple times. They are the only moth in their family where the sexes are not active at the same time of day, with males being diurnal and females being nocturnal. They only overlap in activity for a few hours in the early evening. The males use mimicry of the poisonous pipe vine swallowtail butterfly as a form of protection from predators.Habitat
The range of ''C. promethea'' extends the length of the east coast of the United States and west to the Great Plains. ''C. promethea'' is found in deciduous forests.Predators
The location of the ''C. promethea'' cocoon typically provides the pupae with sufficient protection from possible predators. The cocoons hang from thin branches and are difficult to open, so mice may have difficulty predating because the branches are too thin to hold their weight and woodpeckers could have trouble opening the pupa. Other predators of the cocoons include some flies and wasps.References:
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