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 457 - 480 of 2704 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: StephanieSnyder0802
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 14, 2019
Submitted by: Maglamaniac
Region: Levy County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 18, 2019
Submitted by: Beagle
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Jul 06, 2019
Submitted by: JReynolds608
Region: St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 13, 2019
Submitted by: Mhhobbs
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 17, 2019
Submitted by: thegriffworks
Region: Crawford County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: mpavlo
Region: Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 16, 2019
Observation date: Aug 14, 2019
Submitted by: MLBishop
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 15, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: danieltalbright
Region: Durham County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 14, 2019
Observation date: Aug 13, 2019
Submitted by: amyvmueller
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 14, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: pachips
Region: Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: Jmarcus
Region: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: Pagevee
Region: Henrico County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Jul 21, 2019
Submitted by: teacherlen
Region: Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 11, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Goochland County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: Mharbaugh
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: GritsandGrace00
Region: Cobb County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: markrkent
Region: Mobile County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 02, 2002
Submitted by: Firestar2124
Region: Cherokee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Jul 30, 2019
Submitted by: Kathy A Bradley
Region: Appling County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Cindy11
Region: Coweta County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Christycook318
Region: Cherokee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 09, 2019
Observation date: Aug 08, 2019
Submitted by: PioneerVintageAudio
Region: Hanover County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 08, 2019
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