Attributes of Agrius cingulata

Pink-spotted hawkmoth
Agrius cingulata (Fabricius, 1775)

Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Body is robust. Abdomen tapers to a point and is grayish brown with pink bands. Forewing is mottled gray and brown; hindwing is gray with black bands and pink at the base.
Wing Span: 3 3/4 - 4 3/4 inches (9.5 - 12 cm).
Life History: Caterpillars are large and stout and have a horn at the end of the abdomen. They feed both day and night. Caterpillars pupate in chambers dug in the ground. Adults are very strong fliers.
Flight: . One flight from June-October in most of the range, several flights throughout the year in Florida and Louisiana.
Caterpillar Hosts: Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), jimsonweed (Datura), and related plants.
Adult Food: Nectar from deep-throated flowers including moonflower (Calonyction aculeatum), morning glory (Convolvulus), and petunia (Petunia species).
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical lowlands, open areas.
Range: Argentina north through Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean to the southeastern United States, Texas, southern New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California; strays northward in the summer to British Columbia, Colorado, Michigan, and Maine.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: The caterpillars can be pests on sweet potatoes in the southern states.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Agrius cingulata

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Agrius cingulata - Agrius_cingulatusARLogan19Sept09DonSimons.jpg

Agrius cingulata - Agrius_cingulatusARLogan19Sept09DonSimons.jpg
Agrius cingulata - 1710_58.jpg

Agrius cingulata - 1710_58.jpg

The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.

Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
May 15, 1974 jccooley Rowan County, North Carolina, United States March 25, 2013 Details
September 29, 2006 curtis.lehman (Paul Dennehy) Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States January 29, 2013 Details
September 28, 2010 tjantscher Linn County, Iowa, United States January 14, 2013 Details
October 09, 2011 Ken Childs Chester County, Tennessee, United States November 29, 2012 Details
October 24, 2012 mystikalkat Texas, Kaufman County, United States November 25, 2012 Details
November 03, 2012 kui Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States November 18, 2012 Details
August 13, 2012 MeanusGeneus Norfolk City County, Virginia, United States November 17, 2012 Details
September 24, 2003 rseidler Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
May 04, 2011 rseidler Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
July 06, 2012 Lawst St Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
October 24, 2012 Jared Harmon Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States November 05, 2012 Details
September 03, 2012 southernfilly Iredell County, North Carolina, United States November 01, 2012 Details
September 23, 2012 amanda Carroll County, Georgia, United States November 01, 2012 Details
October 22, 2012 rsilversea Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States October 23, 2012 Details
October 15, 2012 ilawork58 Pueblo County, Colorado, United States October 22, 2012 Details
October 18, 2012 JerryB Craighead County, Arkansas, United States October 21, 2012 Details
October 17, 2012 Moth observer Fairfax County, Virginia, United States October 19, 2012 Details
October 10, 2012 IHugZombies Los Angeles County, California, United States October 18, 2012 Details
October 08, 2012 Jamakaja Newport County, Rhode Island, United States October 15, 2012 Details
October 14, 2012 wtorres Worcester County, Maryland, United States October 14, 2012 Details
October 11, 2012 lisaclee Accomack County, Virginia, United States October 12, 2012 Details
October 06, 2011 minimech84 Hampton City County, Virginia, United States October 11, 2012 Details
October 09, 2012 jose88 Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States October 10, 2012 Details
October 08, 2012 Rambler Talbot County, Maryland, United States October 10, 2012 Details
October 05, 2012 juniper1026 Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States October 06, 2012 Details
October 05, 2012 juniper1026 Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States October 06, 2012 Details
October 05, 2012 drlatham Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States October 06, 2012 Details
September 25, 2012 musicnoreos Gulf County, Florida, United States October 04, 2012 Details
September 30, 2012 j_and_mcds Prince Georges County, Maryland, United States October 01, 2012 Details
September 29, 2012 Soph Baltimore County, Maryland, United States September 29, 2012 Details
September 13, 2012 A McR Riverside County, California, United States September 25, 2012 Details
September 22, 2012 webdiosa Westchester County, New York, United States September 23, 2012 Details
September 22, 2012 Will25 Nassau County, New York, United States September 23, 2012 Details
September 19, 2012 jetnjammy Washington County, Tennessee, United States September 19, 2012 Details
September 17, 2012 Pete Williams Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States September 18, 2012 Details
September 17, 2012 ChincoteagueNWR Accomack County, Virginia, United States September 18, 2012 Details
September 18, 2012 basmithfwb Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States September 18, 2012 Details
September 07, 2012 patrick20603 Montgomery County, Maryland, United States September 08, 2012 Details
September 02, 2010 Connor Wood Morgan County, Colorado, United States September 07, 2012 Details
October 14, 2009 phlebo De Soto County, Mississippi, United States September 04, 2012 Details
August 11, 2012 TIGERHD1 Polk County, Florida, United States August 14, 2012 Details
August 28, 2011 pottsdls Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States August 12, 2012 Details
July 10, 2012 queenofhearts_81 Los Angeles County, California, United States August 06, 2012 Details
May 27, 2012 ajramirez San Joaquin County, California, United States June 06, 2012 Details
October 06, 2003 cyric Franklin County, Florida, United States April 13, 2012 Details
October 25, 2011 KrisMorales Liberty County, Georgia, United States November 22, 2011 Details
October 24, 2011 LJacobs Texas, Tarrant County, United States November 09, 2011 Details
October 01, 2011 bey615 Davidson County, Tennessee, United States October 19, 2011 Details
October 13, 2011 mnrra Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States October 14, 2011 Details
September 01, 2011 rwilson0701 Okaloosa County, Florida, United States October 10, 2011 Details