Attributes of Automeris io
Io moth
Automeris io (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Upperside occasionally males from the spring brood will be mostly brown. Female forewings are brown or brownish purple to red and the bands and eyespots may or may not be apparent. Hindwings of both sexes are yellow to brownish orange with yellow or orange margins. Each hindwing has a large black and blue eyespot with a white dash in the middle.
Wing Span: 2 - 3 1/8 inches (5 - 8 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge during late morning or early afternoon, and mating takes place in the late evening. Females lay clumps of eggs on leaves or stems of the host plants. Young caterpillars feed together as a group and move in long "trains" while older caterpillars feed alone. Papery cocoons are spun in litter under the host plant or in crevices.
Flight: One brood in the north from May-June, two to three broods in the south from February-September, several broods throughout the year in the Florida Keys.
Caterpillar Hosts: A variety of plants including hackberry (Celtis), willow (Salix), mesquite (Prosopis), redbud (Cercis), currant (Ribes), blackberry (Rubus), and pear (Pyrus).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous forests, thorn scrub, and suburban areas.
Range: Maine west across southern Canada to southeastern Manitoba, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Colorado; south to the Florida Keys, the Gulf states, Texas, and New Mexico; Mexico south to Costa Rico.
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.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Automeris io
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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July 02, 2011 | rogerdowner | Wayne County, Ohio, United States | April 12, 2013 | Details |
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July 24, 2011 | Jim Klingler | Nemaha County, Kansas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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May 25, 2012 | Mike Stinson | Buckingham County, Virginia, United States | March 20, 2013 | Details |
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February 23, 2013 | Englishman | Hernando County, Florida, United States | February 23, 2013 | Details |
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June 20, 2009 | Doug Bruce | Anderson County, Tennessee, United States | February 18, 2013 | Details |
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July 12, 2012 | Ken Childs | Chester County, Tennessee, United States | February 17, 2013 | Details |
| June 25, 2008 | curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) | Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States | January 25, 2013 | Details | |
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June 19, 2009 | tjantscher | Boone County, Iowa, United States | January 14, 2013 | Details |
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January 04, 2013 | bobandcecs | Lee County, Florida, United States | January 08, 2013 | Details |
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June 08, 2011 | Ken Childs | Chester County, Tennessee, United States | November 29, 2012 | Details |
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April 28, 2012 | chasecntycharlie | Chase County, Kansas, United States | November 25, 2012 | Details |
| June 06, 1963 | curtis.lehman | Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States | November 24, 2012 | Details | |
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March 01, 1973 | stomlins701 | Bexar County, Texas, United States | November 18, 2012 | Details |
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March 01, 1973 | stomlins701 | Bexar County, Texas, United States | November 18, 2012 | Details |
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November 09, 2012 | sandhillcrane | Pasco County, Florida, United States | November 17, 2012 | Details |
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October 30, 2012 | sierralittle | Osceola County, Florida, United States | November 05, 2012 | Details |
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April 10, 2012 | adamschaffer | Madison County, Arkansas, United States | October 21, 2012 | Details |
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October 19, 2012 | aut2bhomeincarolina | Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States | October 19, 2012 | Details |
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June 12, 2010 | lauralowe | Trimble County, Kentucky, United States | October 15, 2012 | Details |
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June 21, 2009 | lauralowe | Trimble County, Kentucky, United States | October 15, 2012 | Details |
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August 31, 2012 | jedavids | Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States | September 19, 2012 | Details |
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July 14, 2010 | akahearoltz | Pine County, Minnesota, United States | September 19, 2012 | Details |
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September 16, 2012 | deucey | Osceola County, Florida, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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September 14, 2012 | kenborg | Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States | September 15, 2012 | Details |
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September 11, 2012 | JeanEvoy | De Soto County, Florida, United States | September 13, 2012 | Details |
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September 12, 2012 | Kreg Ellzey | East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States | September 12, 2012 | Details |
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September 12, 2012 | jeshurun1 | Virginia, United States | September 12, 2012 | Details |
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July 07, 2008 | jdwiggins | Davie County, North Carolina, United States | September 09, 2012 | Details |
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September 04, 2012 | Nathan Charnock | Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States | September 05, 2012 | Details |
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July 26, 2012 | wax32 | Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States | September 04, 2012 | Details |
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May 22, 2012 | rdhealy1951 | Hardin County, Kentucky, United States | August 31, 2012 | Details |
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June 15, 2012 | BigT904JB | Duval County, Florida, United States | August 30, 2012 | Details |
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June 11, 2011 | HaleyG | Ionia County, Michigan, United States | August 29, 2012 | Details |
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May 17, 2012 | Bachasaur | Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States | August 27, 2012 | Details |
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May 25, 2012 | Bachasaur | Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States | August 27, 2012 | Details |
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August 18, 2012 | Trevor Chapman | Denton County, Texas, United States | August 21, 2012 | Details |
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August 13, 2012 | Jennifer Jilks | Ontario, Canada | August 14, 2012 | Details |
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August 10, 2012 | aaguinness | Hillsborough County, Florida, United States | August 13, 2012 | Details |
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July 31, 2012 | Michael Frimpter | Collier County, Florida, United States | July 31, 2012 | Details |
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July 07, 2012 | RJStewart | Dukes (Martha's Vineyard) County, Massachusetts, United States | July 26, 2012 | Details |
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July 17, 2012 | dendroica5 | Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States | July 26, 2012 | Details |
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July 14, 2012 | BeaLaporte | Ontario, Canada | July 22, 2012 | Details |
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May 01, 2012 | lepidopteran lover | Carroll County, Arkansas, United States | July 19, 2012 | Details |
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July 18, 2012 | jgilliam8589 | Pasco County, Florida, United States | July 19, 2012 | Details |
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May 24, 2012 | Bowbender | Ashland County, Ohio, United States | July 19, 2012 | Details |
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July 10, 2012 | paintr | Ocean County, New Jersey, United States | July 11, 2012 | Details |
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June 08, 2012 | Lori Owenby | Catawba County, North Carolina, United States | July 07, 2012 | Details |
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June 14, 2012 | Amanda Fulton | Medina County, Ohio, United States | July 07, 2012 | Details |
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April 30, 2012 | lepidopteran lover | Carroll County, Arkansas, United States | July 04, 2012 | Details |
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July 03, 2012 | RootsEatery | Calhoun County, Florida, United States | July 04, 2012 | Details |
