Moth Photographers Group -- Elm Sphinx Moth -- 7786

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

7786 -- Elm Sphinx Moth -- Ceratomia amyntor

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Distribution:	Found in Canada from Nova Scotia west to Saskatchewan. In the US, it occurs from New England west to North Dakota, Nebraska and Eastern Colorado. It is less common in the south, but can be found from Florida to eastern Texas.
Seasonality and Size:	One brood in the north from May-Oct, two broods in the south. Wingspan 8.8-11.5 cm.
Larva and Host Plants:	Larva is brown or green, with spinulose horns on the thorax, in addition to the horn at the end of the abdomen, leading to its alternate common name of Four-horned Sphinx. Much of the body is covered with white granules and a ridge of scalelike plates runs down the dorsal midline. The food plants are elm, basswood, and birch.
Field Marks:	brown thorax with wide darker brown stripes towards the edges forewing light brown with whitish pm. line, dark streaks along veins, white tint along the costa and whitish reniform spot. hindwing brown with a dark brown border and incomplete lines
Similar Species:	C. hageni: pattern overlaid with green, pale gray patches at tip of forewing and mid-costa Found only in Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi and Texas. C. sonorensis: found in southern Arizona, 3 black dashes on forewing. C. undulosa (Waved Sphinx): reniform spot large, white with black outline. C. catalpae (Catalpa Sphinx): yellowish brown with relatively indistinct lines on forewing Reniform spot black with gray filling.

Elm Sphinx - 10cm - © Jim Vargo

References

USA Distribution Map at BMNA

Covell Field Guide p.33; Pl. 3(9, male)

MONA Fascicle 21, p.41; Pl. 2(6, female)

Handfield's Papillons du Québec p.269; Pl. 50(7786, male)

Wagner's Caterpillars of Eastern North America p.250

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/7000/7786.shtml -- 08/20/2005