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 313 - 336 of 2704 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 27, 2020
Submitted by: Kandis
Region: Prince William County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 27, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 26, 2020
Submitted by: Glenda Hartley
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: StonyCreekFarm
Region: Marion County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 26, 2020
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: LadyAshleyR
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: LadyAshleyR
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2020
Submitted by: LadyAshleyR
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: RyanLi
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: EllieTS
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: meadowglenfarm
Region: Scott County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2020
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: coffeegoddess
Region: Fairfield County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 23, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: auroraleeann13
Region: Mercer County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 22, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2020
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: Cyrus Li
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 18, 2020
Submitted by: riciglk
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 19, 2020
Submitted by: 3snuffles
Region: Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 16, 2020
Submitted by: DLMills66
Region: Horry County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 17, 2020
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: Kafibers
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 16, 2020
Observation date: Jul 14, 2020
Submitted by: ecrisfield
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 16, 2020
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