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 438 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jan 16, 2020
Observation date: Sep 27, 2019
Submitted by: agdsquash
Region: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 30, 2019
Observation date: Sep 12, 2019
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Gregg County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 22, 2019
Submitted by: orionmalkovich
Region: Grundy County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 14, 2019
Observation date: Jul 08, 2019
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2019
Observation date: Sep 10, 2019
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Virginia, United States, York County
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2019
Observation date: Sep 04, 2019
Submitted by: claricethemoth
Region: Licking County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 08, 2019
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Sep 01, 2019
Submitted by: Adam Dorman
Region: Newton County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Jun 28, 2017
Submitted by: Jan Perkins
Region: Stone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: kccrow98
Region: Woodbury County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: RColonna
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 23, 2019
Observation date: Aug 18, 2019
Submitted by: Phyllis Skupien
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: ashores
Region: Augusta County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2019
Submitted by: Russbride2
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2019
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: julmast
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 04, 2019
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: estanley
Region: Baltimore County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: WildfireGSD
Region: Mahoning County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
Observation date: Jul 27, 2019
Submitted by: agdsquash
Region: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
Observation date: Jul 23, 2019
Submitted by: tmlehman
Region: Jay County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 23, 2019
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: acanofwd40
Region: Jefferson County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 17, 2019
Observation date: Jun 23, 2019
Submitted by: Melissa M Hedde...
Region: Georgia, United States, Whitfield County
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 04, 2019
Submitted by: Siriuslysara
Region: Guilford County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 14, 2019
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: eattaway92
Region: Will County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
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