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.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 121 - 144 of 1458 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 10, 2017
Submitted by: a-o
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: JC32647
Region: Barry County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2016
Submitted by: joyceannleppard...
Region: Barry County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2005
Submitted by: Ilse Gebhard
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2014
Submitted by: Serena Sanborn
Region: Somerset County, Maine, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 26, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Van Otteren
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 11, 2019
Submitted by: RebelofMars81
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jan 19, 2022
Observation date: Jan 17, 2022
Submitted by: DavidSmith_17
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 29, 2021
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Dec 17, 2021
Observation date: Dec 15, 2021
Submitted by: MovieDoug
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 16, 2021
Observation date: Dec 08, 2021
Submitted by: Leppely
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Dec 10, 2021
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: Donna3186
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Nov 23, 2021
Observation date: Sep 28, 2021
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 20, 2021
Observation date: Sep 21, 2015
Submitted by: TysonP
Region: Ohio, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Nov 14, 2021
Observation date: Nov 10, 2021
Submitted by: FRANCISCO R ULL...
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 10, 2021
Observation date: Nov 06, 2021
Submitted by: Brendavent
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 09, 2021
Observation date: Jun 13, 2021
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 04, 2021
Observation date: Sep 14, 2017
Submitted by: chirpus
Region: Onondaga County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 01, 2021
Observation date: Aug 29, 2016
Submitted by: jhazard66
Region: Sullivan County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 31, 2021
Observation date: Aug 18, 2012
Submitted by: Ctommasone
Region: Schenectady County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 28, 2021
Observation date: Oct 24, 2021
Submitted by: aturney
Region: Texas, Polk County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2021
Submitted by: CincyJeff
Region: Highland County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 23, 2021
Observation date: Oct 21, 2021
Submitted by: Captain Mike
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 22, 2021
Observation date: Dec 23, 2018
Submitted by: datilson
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
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