Named after the mythical cyclops from The Odyssey, this moth’s most distinct feature is its large eye spots. Adults are large, brown, with a small round eyespot near the middle of the forewing, and a huge round or elliptical eyespot near the middle of the hindwing. Males are smaller than females but have much more feathery antennae. The caterpillars are large, bright green and have oblique yellow lines running along the abdomen.
Larvae feed on leaves of broad-leaved trees and shrubs, including birch, grape, hickory, maple, oak, willow, and members of the rose family. Adults do not feed.
They then spin cocoons of brown silk, usually wrapped in leaves of the host plant. Adults of this family of moths have vestigial mouths, meaning their mouth parts have been reduced. Because of this, they do not eat and only live as adults for less than one week. Adult moths use a distraction display involving the large eyespots on its wings to confuse predators. Older caterpillars eat an entire leaf and then cut the leaf petiole at the base so it falls to the ground, perhaps a defensive measure to eliminate signs of feeding.
Least Concern
