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 1 - 24 of 2747 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 17, 2025
Submitted by: altoonamothlady
Region: Lake County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 29, 2025
Observation date: Jul 25, 2025
Submitted by: mazami
Region: Oconee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Sep 28, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2016
Submitted by: beverlynantz
Region: Bell County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 03, 2025
Submitted by: Bowbender
Region: Ashland County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Aug 31, 2025
Submitted by: cfield
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 02, 2025
Observation date: Jul 12, 2025
Submitted by: Barometz
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Sep 01, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2025
Submitted by: Michele Pollock
Region: Brown County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 28, 2025
Observation date: Aug 23, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Aug 27, 2025
Observation date: Jul 25, 2025
Submitted by: FklechaLVT
Region: Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Jul 20, 2025
Submitted by: Les in Ohio
Region: Guernsey County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 25, 2025
Observation date: Aug 24, 2025
Submitted by: ButterflymothAR
Region: Ouachita County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 22, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Iron County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Iron County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: Tara Evans
Region: Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Jul 26, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Franklin County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 15, 2025
Observation date: Jul 09, 2025
Submitted by: Shadowofronin
Region: Breathitt County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 10, 2025
Observation date: Jun 18, 2025
Submitted by: sicily
Region: Wake County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Jul 17, 2025
Submitted by: Melinda Bell
Region: Sumner County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 06, 2025
Submitted by: BethanyJ
Region: Madison County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 06, 2025
Observation date: Aug 01, 2025
Submitted by: M4star1
Region: Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 02, 2025
Observation date: Aug 01, 2025
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 01, 2025
Observation date: Aug 01, 2025
Submitted by: ChucknWildwood
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 01, 2025
Observation date: Jul 14, 2025
Submitted by: HarrellSarahD
Region: Adair County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 25, 2025
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