Moth Photographers Group -- Rustic Sphinx Moth -- 7778

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

7778 -- Rustic Sphinx Moth -- Manduca rustica

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Distribution:	Manduca rustica is a southern species, resident from Virginia to south Florida, and west through Arkansas and Texas to New Mexico, southern Arizona and southern California. It strays northward to Maine, New York and Quebec.
Seasonality and Size:	Adults fly from May-Nov. in Florida and South Carolina, June-Nov. in Mississippi and July-Oct. in Arkansas. Glaser records them as a southern migrant only from the Coastal Plain of Maryland between 26 June and 26 September. Wingspan 8.7 - 15 cm.
Larva and Host Plants:	The larva is a green "hornworm". There are numerous white nodules on the dorsal surface and seven pairs of oblique blue-grey lateral stripes. The host plants are bignonia, jasmine, fringe-tree and members of the Verbenaceae and Boraginaceae families.
Field Marks:	three pairs of yellow spots on the abdomen forewing yellowish-brown to deep chocolate brown zigzag black and white lines at the base, in the am. and lower median areas, and after the pm. line
Similar Species :	The Pawpaw Sphinx, Dolba hyloeus, is quite similar but much smaller, with a wingspan of 5.0 - 6.8 cm.

Pawpaw Sphinx - © Patrick Coin

References

USA Distribution Map at BMNA

Covell Field Guide p.32; Pl. 3(8, male)

MONA Fascicle 21, p.33; Pl. 1(5, male)

Handfield's Papillons du Québec p.268; Pl. 50(7778, male).

Wagner's Caterpillars of Eastern North America p.249

Bill Oehlke's Species Page

Data compiled by Nolie Schneider from references noted. See the Books Page for bibliographic and ordering information.

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University

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Files/Live/Species/7000/7778.shtml -- 07/08/2005