Attributes of Cocytius antaeus
Giant sphinx
Cocytius antaeus (Drury, 1773)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Females are much larger than males. Forewing is a blurry yellowish gray. Hindwing is dark gray with yellow at the base and a dark "tooth" projecting from the margin into the translucent area between each vein.
Wing Span: 5 - 7 inches (12.6 - 17.8 cm).
Life History: Females lay eggs singly on leaves of various species of Annona. Caterpillars are large and have a horn at the rear end.
Flight: . Several broods throughout the year in south Florida.
Caterpillar Hosts: Custard apple (Annona glabra).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical lowlands.
Range: Resident in Florida and tropical America south to Brazil and Peru, rare in South Texas, strays as far north as Chicago.
Conservation: Population status and habitat requirements should be studied in Florida.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Cocytius antaeus
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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 Date |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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April 05, 2012 | kellymain | Lee County, Florida, United States | April 09, 2012 | Details |
| February 23, 2009 | legacy.reporter (Jean McCollom) | Collier County, Florida, United States | April 01, 2009 | Details | |
| October 12, 1997 | kellyrichers (Kelly M. Richers) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | January 28, 2009 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Broward County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Charlotte County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Collier County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Highlands County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Hillsborough County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Lee County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Monroe County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Palm Beach County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Volusia County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Madison County, Mississippi, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Tamaulipas, Mexico | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Cape May County, New Jersey, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Florence County, South Carolina, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Pickens County, South Carolina, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Bee County, Texas, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Brewster County, Texas, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details |
