Moth Photographers Group -- Catalpa Sphinx Moth -- 7789

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

7789 -- Catalpa Sphinx Moth -- Caratomia catalpae

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Distribution: From southern New England and Ontario westward through southern Michigan to Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado, south to Florida and Texas.

Seasonality and Size: Double-brooded, generally from April through September, with a slightly longer season in the south. Glaser gives flight dates in Maryland from 19 May - 10 October. Wingspan 6.5-9.5 cm.

Larva and Host Plants: The Catalpa tree is the larval food plant. Larva can be extremely abundant and easily defoliate individual trees. The larva are gregarious through the third instar.

Field Marks:

forewing yellowish-brown with indistinct black lines and dashes
reniform spot black with grey filling
hindwing yellowish-brown with indistinct lines

References

USA Distribution Map at BMNA

Covell Field Guide p.33; Pl. 5(9, male)

MONA Fascicle 21, p.45; Pl. 2(2, female)

Wagner's Caterpillars of Eastern North America p.251

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/7000/7789.shtml -- 12/20/2005