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Polyphemus Moth in California

Posted by July 29th, 2009 at 2:26 pm

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Giant Orange Moth
July 29, 2009
I was sent this photo from a friend in Chico, California. My friend said the moth was about a foot from wing tip to wing tip. I have only found one other photo online, but it has no name to it. I am curious as to what kind of moth this is.
Ann G
Chico, California

polyphemus chico ca 300x212 Polyphemus Moth in California

Polyphemus Moth

Hi Ann,
This is a Polyphemus Moth.  Charles Hogue indicates in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin that the species is native to the Los Angeles area.  BugGuide also has reports from California, but most of our reports come from Eastern North America.  Thanks for sending us this California documentation.  We are also going to copy Bill Oehlke on this as he is compiling comprehensive data on species distribution.

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