Hyalophora cecropia

Cecropia moth
Mounted adult female
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Hyalophora
Species:
H. cecropia
Binomial name
Hyalophora cecropia
Synonyms
  • Phalaena cecropia Linnaeus, 1758
  • Samia cecropia

Hyalophora cecropia, the cecropia moth, is North America's largest native moth.[1] It is a member of the family Saturniidae, or giant silk moths. Females have been documented with a wingspan of five to seven inches (13 to 18 cm) or more. These moths can be found predominately across the east of North America, with occurrence's as far west as Washington and north into the majority of Canadian provinces.[2] Cecropia moth larvae are most commonly found on maple trees, but they have also been found on cherry and birch trees among many others. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

  1. ^ "Cecropia Moth". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "Hyalophora cecropia Linnaeus, 1758". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. October 15, 2024. doi:10.15468/39omei. Retrieved October 15, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)