Catalpa sphinx
Ceratomia catalpae (Boisduval, 1875)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Forewing is yellowish brown with no white markings and indistinct black lines and dashes. Cell spot is gray with a black outline. Hindwing is yellowish brown with obscure lines.
Wing Span: 2 9/16 - 3 3/4 inches (6.5 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: Adult moths fly at night. Females lay large clusters of eggs on the underside of host leaves or smaller clusters on twigs and branches. Young caterpillars feed together in groups; older ones feed singly. Fully-grown caterpillars crawl down the tree trunk to pupate and overwinter in chambers dug 2-3 inches into the soil. Caterpillars are often parasitized by a wasp, Apanteles congregatus, which lays its eggs inside the caterpillar. The caterpillar eventually dies as the wasp larvae feed inside it.
Flight: . Two flights from May-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Catalpa species in the Bignoniaceae family.
Adult Food: Adults probably do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands and suburban plantings.
Range: Eastern states from Maine west to Iowa; south to Florida, the Gulf States, and Texas. Also Colorado and Nebraska. Comment: Caterpillars are used as fish bait in the Southeast.
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: During outbreaks, caterpillars can defoliate catalpa trees.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 394 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: paul_dewaard
Region: Georgia, Towns County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 13, 2018
Observation date: Jul 02, 2018
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 04, 2018
Observation date: Jul 17, 2018
Submitted by: pantos
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 28, 2018
Observation date: Jun 11, 2018
Submitted by: BrandonH
Region: Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 12, 2018
Observation date: Sep 24, 2016
Submitted by: Ehck9
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 07, 2018
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: eattaway92
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 09, 2018
Observation date: Sep 21, 2017
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Virginia, United States, York County
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 17, 2017
Observation date: Oct 21, 2017
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 03, 2017
Observation date: Jun 18, 2017
Submitted by: Wolffoot
Region: Brown County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 12, 2017
Observation date: Sep 17, 2017
Submitted by: chelespears
Region: Payne County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 06, 2017
Observation date: Sep 22, 2017
Submitted by: Daniel Taylor
Region: Worcester County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 01, 2017
Observation date: Sep 02, 2017
Submitted by: GinaZ
Region: Lyon County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 21, 2017
Observation date: Sep 17, 2017
Submitted by: BrandonH
Region: Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
Observation date: Sep 13, 2017
Submitted by: BrandonH
Region: Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 14, 2017
Observation date: Sep 09, 2017
Submitted by: zebacuff
Region: Warren County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2017
Observation date: Sep 06, 2017
Submitted by: BrandonH
Region: Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 07, 2017
Observation date: Jul 21, 2017
Submitted by: Jimmy Acorn
Region: Montgomery County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 31, 2017
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 30, 2017
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: Dave Webb
Region: Harford County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Aug 11, 2017
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: LadyMothra
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
Observation date: Aug 23, 2017
Submitted by: AutumnYuuki
Region: Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 24, 2017
Observation date: Aug 16, 2017
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2017
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