Imperial moth
Eacles imperialis (Drury, 1773)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Ceratocampinae
Identification: Females are larger than males. Upperside is yellow with pinkish brown to purple-brown patches, bands, and cell spots, and tiny brown spots scattered overall. Males have larger patches on the forewings than females, except for some subspecies pini males which have reduced purple and are mostly yellow.
Wing Span: 3 1/8 - 6 7/8 inches (8 - 17.4 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge before sunrise and mate after midnight the next day. Females lay eggs at dusk singly or in groups of 2-5 on both surfaces of host plant leaves. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks, and the caterpillars are solitary feeders. Pupation takes place in underground burrows.
Flight: One brood; in the north from June-August, in the south from April-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Conifers and deciduous trees and shrubs including pine (Pinus), oak (Quercus), box elder (Acer negundo), maples (Acer), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Confirmed feeding on Norway spruce (see record 738773). Subspecies pini feeds only on conifers.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous and evergreen forests.
Range: Maine west to eastern Nebraska, south to the Florida Keys and central Texas. Subspecies pini occurs across the northern Great Lakes basin and the northern third of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 289 - 312 of 2704 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 13, 2020
Submitted by: Huskydeb
Region: Moore County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 14, 2020
Observation date: Aug 11, 2020
Submitted by: ButterflyLover77
Region: Shelby County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: katydidthat
Region: Seminole County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 11, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2020
Submitted by: glassesguy
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 11, 2020
Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: Kimberlywebb
Region: Prince George County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: Jeff McDonald
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 06, 2020
Observation date: Aug 04, 2020
Submitted by: emilybaatz
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 03, 2020
Submitted by: nch5013
Region: Jackson County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 03, 2020
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: quiequie627
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 03, 2020
Submitted by: cpipitone
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2020
Observation date: Jul 31, 2020
Submitted by: elopm
Region: Johnson County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: ashokm
Region: Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 02, 2020
Observation date: Jul 31, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 01, 2020
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: AaronR
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 31, 2020
Observation date: Jul 30, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 30, 2020
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Pandra Williams
Region: Oglethorpe County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 30, 2020
Observation date: Jul 29, 2020
Submitted by: Jbanks
Region: Cullman County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 30, 2020
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 29, 2020
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: Jwhite58@roadru...
Region: Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 28, 2020
Observation date: Jul 26, 2020
Submitted by: ET
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 28, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2020
Submitted by: Lmdinkel
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 27, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2020
Submitted by: pabirdermoore
Region: Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 27, 2020
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