| Five-spotted Hawkmoth (Manduca quinquemaculata) (Haworth, 1803) |
| Synonyms: Manduca quinquemaculatus, Sphinx quinquemaculata, Phlegethontius quinquemaculatus, Phlegethontius celeus, Protoparce quinquemaculatus, tomato hornworm (the caterpillar) |
Manduca quinquemaculata ranges throughout most of the contiguous United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Presently most common near plantations of the cultivated Solanaceae, though occurs in natural habitats also. A large sphinx; the wingspan 90-135 mm. The forewing is grayish-brown, mottled; the hindwing is pale gray with two dark zig-zagging bands. The abdomen is mostly brown with 5-6 pairs of dorsolateral yellowish spots. The caterpillar (“Tomato Hornworm”; up to 100 mm in length) is green, with eight v-shaped stripes on each side, and a blue-black, pointed projection (“horn”) at the posterior end. Adults feed on nectar from large, fragrant flowers from the Solonaceae (Datura, Nicotiana, etc.), Onagraceae (e.g., Oenothera caespitosa), and Nyctaginaceae (Mirabilis spp.), and the larva on leaves of various Solanaceae species, such as tomato, eggplant, potato, tobacco, etc. Two broods in the north (May-October), and several in Florida.
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12777 Five-spotted Hawkmoth (Manduca quinquemaculata), caterpillar Long Point, Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved |
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