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 2763 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 03, 2026
Submitted by: labkitten
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 04, 2026
Observation date: Jul 25, 2026
Submitted by: mmccollough5
Region: Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 28, 2026
Observation date: Jul 23, 2026
Submitted by: ridgeboy
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 24, 2026
Observation date: Jul 24, 2026
Submitted by: Morrison118
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 24, 2026
Observation date: Jul 23, 2026
Submitted by: jatate12
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2026
Observation date: Jul 19, 2026
Submitted by: Chelseylynn2420
Region: McDowell County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 20, 2026
Observation date: Jul 18, 2026
Submitted by: sdoyleahern
Region: Hocking County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 19, 2026
Observation date: Jul 15, 2026
Submitted by: Derecho
Region: Catawba County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 18, 2026
Observation date: Jul 16, 2026
Submitted by: Belinda Knoblock
Region: Putnam County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 17, 2026
Observation date: Jul 16, 2026
Submitted by: gray.gloves
Region: Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 16, 2026
Observation date: Jul 15, 2026
Submitted by: Darmstrong1359
Region: Muskegon County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 15, 2026
Observation date: Jul 09, 2026
Submitted by: Strawberry8
Region: Monroe County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 10, 2026
Observation date: Jul 02, 2026
Submitted by: Forte07
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 02, 2026
Observation date: Jul 28, 2021
Submitted by: Stephanie Moore
Region: Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 20, 2026
Observation date: Jun 06, 2026
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (David Egleston )
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 07, 2026
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: dkBirder
Region: Calhoun County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Mar 01, 2026
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
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