Imperial Moth

Description:

Very large silkmoth that is yellow and pinkish-brown in color.

Notes:

Two broods yearly in Florida. Imperial moths are members of the Saturniidae family of moths. The larvae of this moth grow to a rather remarkable 4 inches in length. When the larvae have reached full size, they burrow into the ground to pupate. Adults emerge once a year and begin searching for a mate. Females call out to males by emitting pheramones that the male moths can detect up to a mile away from a female. Once mated, the female can lay up to 200 eggs. As adults, the moths do not eat. Instead they subsist entirely on nutrients that they consumed as larvae which gives them a reduced lifespan of about one week.