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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Bombycoidea » Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths (Saturniidae) » Royal Moths (Ceratocampinae) » Eacles » Imperial Moth - Hodges#7704 (Eacles imperialis)
Photo#204701
huge yellow & purple moth - Eacles imperialis
Copyright © 2008 DeKalb bug

huge yellow & purple moth - Eacles imperialis
DeKalb, St. Lawrence County, New York, USA
July 4, 2008
Size: about 5" across
Found this huge moth in the middle of the day in a patch of old growth forest. After taking some photos I walked around to the other side of the stump and found another one just like it! See next photo. Location is on the top of a ridge overlooking a large swamp. Large white pines and hemlocks dominate this spot, but in the past ten years a disease has decimated the hemlocks and they have all died and many have been toppled, including the one this moth was clinging to. It is now very open with blackberries and blueberries covering what used to be a clear bed of conifer needles. The rest of the forest in this region is mixed northern hardwoods.
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Contributed by DeKalb bug on 22 July, 2008 - 8:46am
Last updated 22 July, 2008 - 8:30pm

J.D. Roberts
Your comment is out of line.
… richard m. gillmore, 30 August, 2009 - 12:17pm login or register to post comments

 
Really?
Please elucidate.
… J.D. Roberts, 30 August, 2009 - 12:58pm login or register to post comments

Eacles imperialis (7704)
I see a female (not male) Eacles imperialis moth that appears to be normal size and color for a typical imperialis. To say that this is a "pini" without examining the underside has no merit. Dr. Ferguson in his book explains this and the other critical points to aid individuals in determining "pini".
… richard m. gillmore, 14 June, 2009 - 2:19pm login or register to post comments

 
Not again ...
Care to explain where this phantom is that claimed emphatically that this moth "is a 'pini'" as you say? I don't see them. It was suggested that it could be subspecies 'pini.' ... which is a very good possibility.

To say that it is a typical imperialis without examining the underside - especially given the location and habitat the specimen is in - is equally without merit ... actually, more so.
… J.D. Roberts, 14 June, 2009 - 7:57pm login or register to post comments

This is an Eacles Imperialis,
This is an Eacles Imperialis, male. (aka Imperial Moth). It's the moth that turned me into a BugGuide photography addict.
… Nina, 22 July, 2008 - 8:50am login or register to post comments

 
Thank you for the ID
Wow, I just posted this image a couple minutes ago and already it has been ID'd. Thanks. Now I can look up more information on these very impressive looking moths.
… DeKalb bug, 22 July, 2008 - 9:07am login or register to post comments

 
Excellent
This is a great find. Given the habitat that it's in, especially surrounded by White Pines in particular, I'd say it is possibly the subspecies pini. You may have a small local population in that area.
… J.D. Roberts, 22 July, 2008 - 10:59am login or register to post comments

 
Subspecies pini
Yes, I did a little research and it seems that the extreme northern location as well as the presence of lots of white pine in the area suggest it is pini. The color pattern also fits with descriptions of pini, which seem to have more yellow and less purple than specimens from more southerly locations. I've posted a photo and comments about the surrounding habitat.
… DeKalb bug, 22 July, 2008 - 11:19am login or register to post comments

 
nifty!
looks like you narrowed it down nicely with help from JD. Cool.
… Nina, 22 July, 2008 - 11:38am login or register to post comments

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