Moth Photographers Group – Manduca sexta

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

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Sphingidae

890090 – 7775 Manduca sexta (Linnaeus, 1763)

Carolina Sphinx

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Distribution:	From Massachusetts, New York and so. Ontario west to Minnesota and Colorado, to the southern borders of the U.S., including southern California.
Seasonality and Size:	Adults may be found throughout the year in Florida, and from May to October to northward. Glaser records the species in Maryland from May 24 to September 17. Wingspan 105 - 120 mm.
Larva and Host Plants:	The larva, known as the tobacco hornworm, is green or brown. It has seven diagonal white lines on each side, and a red "horn" at the end of the abdomen. It feeds on plants in the nightshade family, and may be a pest on tomato and tobacco. Adults may nectar at flowers such as moonflower, morning glory, honeysuckle and petunia.
Description/ Field Marks:	usually six pairs of yellow spots on the abdomen. irregular wavy subterminal line on the forewing. narrow white marks on the forewing and hindwing fringes. hindwing with two zigzag black median lines that are fused together with very little white between them.
Similar Species:	The Five-spotted Hawk Moth, M. quinquemaculata, may be distinguished from M. sexta by the following: usually five pairs of yellow abdominal spots lower half of subterminal line nearly straight forewing and hindwing fringes grey zigzag median lines on hindwing sharper and separated by more white Manduca occulta, is found in So. Arizona and rarely in So. Florida. In this moth, the light areas in the fringe of the forewing are grey rather than white and about as broad as the dark areas. Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	caestri (Blanchard, 1854) (Sphinx) griseata (Butler, 1875) (Protoparce) jamaicensis (Butler, 1877) (Protoparce) luciae (Gehlen, 1928) (Protoparce) nicotianae (Boisduval, [1875]) (Sphinx) nicotianae (Ménétriés, 1857) (Sphinx) paphus (Cramer, 1779) (Sphinx) sexta (Linnaeus, 1763) (Sphinx) - MONA 1983: 7775 carolina (Linnaeus, 1764) (Sphinx) (synonym of ssp. sexta) lycopersici (Boisduval, [1875]) (Sphinx) (synonym of ssp. sexta)

References

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification, and some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.
Covell Field Guide p.32; Pl. 3(7).
Factsheet at Florida Featured Creatures.
Hall et al., 2021. The Moths of North Carolina - website (identification, habitats and life history)
Hodges, R. W., 1971. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 21:p. 29; pl. 1.7. order or free PDF
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 40.5m; p. 244. Book Review and ordering
Species Page at Bill Oehlke's moth website - Manduca sexta
Species Page at Block Island Moths
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at Mass Moths
Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths
Species page at Moths of North Dakota.
Tuttle, J. P., 2007. Hawk Moths of North America: p. 48; pl. 8.4.
Wagner, D. L., (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America, p. 248.