Courtesy Conn. Agric. Exp. Stn. 
Figure 87.—Hickory horned devil, larva of Citheronia 
regalis. 
species is of little or no economic importance. It is of interest mostly because of the 
frightening appearance of the larvae. 
Citheronia sepulcralis Grote & Robinson is occasionally found feeding on the 
needles of pines from Maine to Florida. Moths are dark brownish gray with a lilac 
tinge. There is a dusky discal spot on each forewing and a reddish base on the 
hindwing. The wingspread is about 75 to 100 mm. Full-grown larvae are dull 
brown, armed with short, orange horns, and are about 100 mm long. 
The imperial moth, Eacles imperialis (Drury), occurs in the Eastern United 
States and southern Canada. The larvae feed on the foliage of a wide variety of trees 
including pines, redcedar, oaks, sweetgum, elm, persimmon, hickory, maple, 
beech, honeylocust, and baldcypress. The moth is sulfur yellow with brown and 
lilac markings and has a wingspread of 100 to 150 mm. Full-grown larvae are 
heavy-bodied and about 100 mm long. The head is orange-yellow with green sides; 
the body is pale green to dark green or reddish brown and sparsely covered with 
long, whitish hairs; it has short tubercles on the second and third thoracic and the 
last two abdominal segments. Adults appear during June and July and larvae are 
present from July to October. Winter is spent in the pupal stage in the ground; there 
is One generation per year in the North, two in the South. 
Eacles imperialis pini Michener feeds on eastern white and jack pines in New 
York, Michigan, and southern Canada. The adults are smaller than those of the 
imperial moth and have dark markings of pink to pinkish brown. Spots on the wings 
are also heavier than those of the imperial moth. Adults are present from mid-June 
to mid-July. 
Family Sphingidae 
Sphinx Moths 
The adults of this family are distinctive in appearance and are known by such 
common names as sphinx moths, hawk moths, and hummingbird moths (574, 
1075). They have stout, spindle-shaped bodies and long, narrow, very strong 
wings. The antennae are more or less thickened at the middle or toward the tip and 
are usually pointed or curved back in the form of a hook. The mouth parts are 
usually very long, and when not in use are held coiled beneath the head like a watch 
spring. Mature larvae are long, usually naked, and each bears a horn, an eyelike 
spot, or a low tubercle on top of the eighth abdominal segment. The pose of the 
larva while at rest is distinctive—it clings to its support with its prolegs, holds the 
front part of the body aloft, and bends its head downward. 
Z1z 
