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
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 145 - 168 of 1458 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 12, 2021
Submitted by: ships333
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 12, 2021
Observation date: Sep 05, 2021
Submitted by: Tom Foster
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 10, 2021
Observation date: Aug 29, 2021
Submitted by: Babs727
Region: Volusia County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 29, 2021
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: kayjaypea
Region: Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 14, 2021
Observation date: Aug 17, 2020
Submitted by: NarcolepticLuna
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 05, 2021
Observation date: Aug 03, 2021
Submitted by: tmlehman
Region: Jay County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 25, 2021
Submitted by: Shane Miller
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 25, 2021
Submitted by: Shane Miller
Region: Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 13, 2021
Submitted by: julmast
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 13, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2021
Submitted by: michellelynn1982
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 11, 2021
Observation date: Jun 27, 2021
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jun 19, 2021
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 08, 2021
Observation date: Jul 06, 2021
Submitted by: Seaver
Region: Madison County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 06, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2021
Submitted by: elanorh
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 02, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2021
Submitted by: Rich Civil
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2021
Submitted by: FranTack
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 29, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: rmery
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 28, 2021
Observation date: Jun 04, 2021
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 22, 2021
Observation date: Jun 21, 2021
Submitted by: Rjfischer
Region: Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 21, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2021
Submitted by: shaely
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 15, 2021
Observation date: Jun 06, 2021
Submitted by: NNing
Region: Geauga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Jun 13, 2021
Observation date: Jun 09, 2021
Submitted by: Fchatneuf
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2021
Observation date: Jun 11, 2021
Submitted by: Jillmcm
Region: Somerset County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jun 12, 2021
Observation date: Jun 10, 2021
Submitted by: Katierakat
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 10, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 7 of 61
- next ›