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 217 - 240 of 2704 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 20, 2021
Submitted by: Spicycantaloupe
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 20, 2021
Observation date: Jul 19, 2021
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Jul 19, 2021
Observation date: Jul 04, 2021
Submitted by: snakeowl
Region: Mitchell County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 11, 2021
Observation date: Jun 28, 2021
Submitted by: Old Bugger21
Region: Madison County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 02, 2021
Submitted by: ShiannaLovesYou
Region: Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 04, 2021
Observation date: May 13, 2021
Submitted by: BethWayman
Region: Bryan County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 22, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2021
Submitted by: Brandonlipman
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 20, 2021
Observation date: Jun 17, 2021
Submitted by: KaziSchaffer
Region: Ocean County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 18, 2021
Observation date: Jul 15, 2019
Submitted by: kcdemille
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 05, 2021
Observation date: May 28, 2021
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Linda Hyman)
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 29, 2021
Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: Ilse Gebhard
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: May 03, 2021
Observation date: May 18, 2011
Submitted by: DVL
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 28, 2021
Observation date: Jul 23, 2019
Submitted by: Blackdesertwind
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 20, 2021
Observation date: Sep 25, 2020
Submitted by: TZENI2017JC
Region: Volusia County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 19, 2021
Observation date: Sep 01, 2017
Submitted by: Joanne Ryan
Region: Johnston County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Feb 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 05, 2018
Submitted by: Pbailey0165
Region: Hillsdale County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 17, 2018
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 03, 2018
Submitted by: juliefick
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 08, 2018
Submitted by: SherryB
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 19, 2018
Submitted by: DFisher
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 08, 2019
Submitted by: twooden
Region: Allegan County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 15, 2019
Submitted by: chipperatl
Region: Calhoun County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 16, 2019
Submitted by: danbeach
Region: Berrien County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 22, 2019
Submitted by: mmontri
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 02, 2021
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