DISTRIBUTION:

The Eacles imperialis quintanensis moth (wingspan: males: 86-110mm; females: 118-124mm) flies in
Mexico: in Yucatan and Quintana Roo and southern Chiapas (CC); and in
Belize: Corozol.

Eacles imperialis quintanensis male, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, April,
courtesy of Gus A. Rentfro, id and digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

The ocellus on all wings in the male is filled with white scales. The forewing accessory ocellus is also white and completely free of the antemedian line.

Eacles imperialis quintanensis male, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, April,
courtesy of Gus A. Rentfro, id and digital repair by Bill Oehlke.

Eacles imperialis decoris male, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, April,
courtesy of Gus A. Rentfro, id by Bill Oehlke.

Eacles imperialis quintanensis male, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, April,
courtesy of Gus A. Rentfro, id by Bill Oehlke.

Based on the Eacles imperialis ssp. images from Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, I think E. i. decoris and E. i. quintanensis may be colour variations of the same subspecies. All other images I have seen as decoris have been the bright yellow with a definite concave forewing outer margin. The more orangey specimens, also from Puerto Morelos, seem to have a straighter fw outer margin, but the specimen from Manuel Balcazar Lara also seems to have a convex outer margin.

It would be very interesting to see if reared offspring from the more orangey-brown moth would yield both colour variations. Dirk Bayer from Alabama has reared nominate imperialis and has seen both the heavily suffused "nobilis" and the more typical imperialis emerge from the same egg batches.

Lemaire does not list decoris from Quintana Roo, and, as far as I know, the International Code does not allow two subspecies from the same area, although I do not fully understand the logic in that.

If quintanensis breeds true and always yields the more orangey-brown moths with a straight to slightly convex outer margin, and decoris breeds true, always yielding the brighter yellow moths with a more convex outer margin (males), then perhaps quintanensis should be elevated to full species status, or the Code should provide for two subspecies from the same area.

I am not sure if anyone has reared and photographed the larvae of "quintanensis".

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

In Mexico, Eacles imperialis quintanensis moths are on the wing in December. Gus A. Rentfro reports an April flight in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, at the onset of the rainy season.

Larvae probably accept Quercus robur and other oak species.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Females have ciliate antennae and extend a scent gland, emitting pheromone, from the tip of the abdomen at night. Males fly in a zigzag pattern into the wind and use their more highly developed antennae (quadripectinate for basal two-thirds) to track the pheromone.

The pair remains coupled until the following evening. Upon separation, the females begin their ovipositing flights.

Eacles imperialis quintanensis female, Claude Lemaire.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS AND PUPAE:

Yellow, translucent eggs are deposited singly or in small clusters of up to six. The larvae become visible through the egg shells a day or so before emerging.

Larvae are solitary in their feeding habits and have extensive thoracic scoli, especially pronounced in early instars. At maturity, larvae descend trees to pupate in underground chambers. Pupae should be stored under cool , but above freezing temperatures, and sprinkling with water a few times a week in spring encourages subsequent eclosions.

Eacles imperialis quintanensis fifth instar, green form,
southern Chiapas, Mexico, courtesy of Chris Conlan

Eacles imperialis quintanensis fifth instar, black form,
southern Chiapas, Mexico, courtesy of Chris Conlan

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

Quercus robur.......

English oak

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The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

I do not know the source of the genus name "Eacles", but it may be a combination of "Ea", the Greek word for gods and goddesses and the Greek suffix "cles", meaning 'glory of'.

The species name "imperialis" is probably for the majestic appearance and colouration of this moth.

The subspecies name "quintanensis" indicates the specimen type location, Quintana Roo, in southeastern Mexico.