Signature: paperboy Dear paperboy, This stunning creature is a male Imperial Moth. Walnut Caterpillar Datana major larva Azalea Caterpillar Datana ministra larva Yellow-necked Caterpillar Deidamia inscriptum larva Lettered Sphinx Diphthera festiva Hieroglyphic Moth Dryocampa rubicunda larva Rosy Maple Moth Eacles imperialis larva Imperial Moth Ellida caniplaga larva Linden Prominent Some moths also form cocoons. Eacles imperialis, the imperial moth, is a Nearctic member of the family Saturniidae and subfamily Ceratocampinae. The caterpillar appears to have large brown eyes. Whether you’re a seasoned hobbyist or doing your first time, you will take sheer pleasure in raising Luna moth caterpillars. Here it … What a descriptive appellation for this moth. Food depends on the subspecies. large moth Location: Martha’sVineyard, MA July 25, 2011 7:22 am Hi, Never saw this big moth around before. Imperial moth, Eacles imperialis, caterpillars become large, up to 4 inches. The Imperial Moth, Eacles imperialis is one of our beautiful giant silk moths. You may spot an adult moth in the evening as it sips nectar from your flowers - just like a hummingbird. I told my friends that I definitely wanted to raise and release this guy, so they delivered it to me the next day. 6 … Description. The thought of putting a newly fertile female in a paper bag for a few days may sound cruel, but since her role is to reproduce, I think we are doing her a favor. They are covered with long, irritating hairs; people are more likely to react with an itching rash rather than a stinging sensation. Normally, our “location” field is used to identify a city, state, country or continent where the critter was sighted. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. Some subspecies feed on leaves of deciduous trees and some feed on the needles of conifers. I'm hoping to get some eggs from her this spring. Dear Ashley, This is an Imperial Moth Caterpillar.. Megalopygidae, known to mortals as the Flannel Moths are one of the most interesting, amazing and talked about moth family made up from 11 known species. Imperial moth, Eacles imperialis (Drury), fifth instar larval (prepupal) exuviae after emergence of pupa (exuviae stretched for photography). You can raise an Imperial Moth Caterpillar to an adult by keeping it in a small terrarium with ventilation. Io moth caterpillar. As fascinating as it has been to watch the Imperial Moth caterpillars eat and grow into gigantic poop machines, the time finally came to put them outside where they belong. Only the eastern U.S. population, Eacles imperialis imperialis (Drury), will be considered here and, for simplicity it will be referred to as the imperial moth or Eacles imperialis. I have a female Imperial moth pupa that has been in my fridge all winter. The female has more yellow wings than the male. Sphinx moths are so cool. The adult moth actually does have huge brown eyes. Females lay eggs at dusk singly or in groups of 2-5 on both surfaces of host plant leaves. A chryalis and pupa are two words for the same thing, the third stage in the life of a butterfly or moth (the four stages are egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult moth or butterfly). It turned out to be a female Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), and to our great delight, she eventually laid us some fertilized eggs. Life History: Adults emerge before sunrise and mate after midnight the next day. After a little investigating I determined that it was an Imperial Moth caterpillar, one of the family of impressive giant silk moths that occurs here. Within a few weeks, they had hatched, providing us with about 50 tiny Imperial moth larvae to raise. From caterpillars to hatching as moths, these insect look like tiny fur-balls, hence the nickname of their larvae "puss caterpillars". Luna moths, blessed with attractive eyespots on the wings, are a striking lime green in colour. Hello everyone. Photograph by Donald W. Hall , University of Florida. The imperial moth has evolved to look like rotting leaves. (Its true eyespots are tiny and not easily seen). Pupae work their way to the surface prior to emergence of the adults (Stratton-Porter 1921, Tuskes 1996). The cocoon is an outer rapping made by the caterpillar using silk produced from glands in the caterpillar…