Attributes of Eacles imperialis
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.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Eacles imperialis
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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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May 07, 2013 | WmGraham | Leon County, Florida, United States | May 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 20, 2013 | LindaA | Alachua County, Florida, United States | April 24, 2013 | Details |
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August 30, 1975 | stomlins701 | Bexar County, Texas, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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August 06, 2012 | J Jessop | Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States | April 05, 2013 | Details |
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August 01, 2011 | Ryan Antonick | Kane County, Illinois, United States | March 26, 2013 | Details |
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September 05, 2012 | Dan Watley | Montgomery County, Maryland, United States | March 10, 2013 | Details |
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March 02, 2011 | Richard L. Becker | Duval County, Florida, United States | March 05, 2013 | Details |
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August 03, 2012 | Ken Childs | Chester County, Tennessee, United States | February 17, 2013 | Details |
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August 05, 2012 | Ken Childs | Chester County, Tennessee, United States | February 17, 2013 | Details |
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August 18, 2012 | Ken Childs | Chester County, Tennessee, United States | February 17, 2013 | Details |
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September 29, 2012 | tinalouise | Overton County, Tennessee, United States | January 22, 2013 | Details |
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July 11, 2009 | tjantscher | Boone County, Iowa, United States | January 07, 2013 | Details |
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November 01, 2012 | cew_64 | Texas, Smith County, United States | January 04, 2013 | Details |
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November 04, 2012 | amydenise | Texas, Montgomery County, United States | January 04, 2013 | Details |
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August 29, 2012 | redcaterpillar | Branch County, Michigan, United States | December 10, 2012 | Details |
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September 09, 2012 | Jennifer38821 | Monroe County, Mississippi, United States | December 07, 2012 | Details |
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August 09, 2010 | jrfleullan | Bibb County, Georgia, United States | November 27, 2012 | Details |
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October 12, 2012 | bkmealey | Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States | November 25, 2012 | Details |
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October 10, 2007 | sheath | Brazoria County, Texas, United States | November 19, 2012 | Details |
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September 19, 2012 | Tommie Rogers | Marion County, Tennessee, United States | November 17, 2012 | Details |
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October 12, 2012 | jentynes1 | Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 13, 2012 | Details |
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November 03, 2012 | JAKeverline | Texas, Travis County, United States | November 10, 2012 | Details |
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September 05, 2012 | CAshley | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | November 05, 2012 | Details |
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September 29, 2012 | carpenter123 | Marion County, Georgia, United States | November 01, 2012 | Details |
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August 17, 2012 | OceansWhisper | Seminole County, Florida, United States | October 18, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2010 | lauralowe | Trimble County, Kentucky, United States | October 15, 2012 | Details |
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September 01, 2011 | lawrenceingram | Forrest County, Mississippi, United States | October 11, 2012 | Details |
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June 29, 2012 | erica32paulk | Dale County, Alabama, United States | October 10, 2012 | Details |
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July 14, 2012 | Carla Finley | Sarasota County, Florida, United States | October 08, 2012 | Details |
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September 13, 2012 | dmj59 | Manatee County, Florida, United States | October 04, 2012 | Details |
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August 21, 2012 | Elizsafox | Texas, Travis County, United States | October 04, 2012 | Details |
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July 13, 2012 | Rangertsp | Van Buren County, Tennessee, United States | October 02, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | jjflossem | Hernando County, Florida, United States | September 26, 2012 | Details |
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September 24, 2012 | stephanierose | Cumberland County, Kentucky, United States | September 24, 2012 | Details |
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September 12, 2012 | business11 | Georgia, Telfair County, United States | September 23, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | badstriker1 | Polk County, Florida, United States | September 23, 2012 | Details |
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September 15, 2012 | celson_ii | Columbia County, Georgia, United States | September 22, 2012 | Details |
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September 19, 2012 | jjflossem | Hernando County, Florida, United States | September 20, 2012 | Details |
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August 28, 2012 | warren83 | Warren County, New Jersey, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 29, 2012 | donalda | Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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September 05, 2012 | ninjamand | Ocean County, New Jersey, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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September 15, 2012 | jillisue6 | Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 18, 2012 | gutergirl304 | Chittenden County, Vermont, United States | September 16, 2012 | Details |
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September 10, 2012 | jakehill920 | New Castle County, Delaware, United States | September 16, 2012 | Details |
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September 14, 2012 | Smanthamentzer | Washington County, Maryland, United States | September 16, 2012 | Details |
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September 15, 2012 | dancer4304 | Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States | September 15, 2012 | Details |
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September 07, 2012 | JeanEvoy | De Soto County, Florida, United States | September 13, 2012 | Details |
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September 12, 2012 | MDZINDZELETA | Seminole County, Florida, United States | September 13, 2012 | Details |
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September 05, 2012 | thewhites2000 | Knox County, Tennessee, United States | September 12, 2012 | Details |
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September 10, 2012 | jennid10 | Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States | September 12, 2012 | Details |
