Polyphemus
- noun
- /ˌpɒlɪˈfiːməs/
- Specialized
:
Polifemo
- The polyphemus moth is known for its impressive size and distinctive markings, often captivating nature enthusiasts when they are spotted in the wild.
- Limulus polyphemus
Examples
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In the warm summer evenings, the garden comes alive with the fluttering of polyphemus moths, whose brown wings are adorned with beautiful eye spots.
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The role that Limulus polyphemus plays in my life has changed from nuisance to necessity over the course of two decades (coincidentally, the lifespan of a healthy horseshoe crab).
Academic text (2002) -
Ocean-going species are sea turtles, and members of the family Testudinidae, such as the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), are considered tortoises.
Blog text (9) -
At dusk, we spotted a polyphemus moth resting on the tree bark, its large eye-like spots making it look like a cautious guardian of the night.
Synonyms
A very large North American moth with yellow-brown wings and big round eye marks on the back of its wings
A very large yellow-brown moth with eye-like spots on its back wings
Compounds
- Specialized
A very large North American moth with yellow-brown wings and big round eye marks on the back of its wings
- Specialized
A large sea animal with a hard horseshoe-shaped shell and a long pointed tail
- Specialized
A burrowing land tortoise from the southeastern United States that makes large burrows and shelters other animals
- Specialized
A large sea animal like a crab with a hard domed shell and pointed tail
Surface Forms
Etymology
Polyphemus for the moth comes from the giant in Greek myth, the one-eyed cyclops Polyphemus, because the moth has large eye-like spots on its wings that look like a single big eye, so people named the moth after him.
