Achemon sphinx Eumorpha achemon (Drury, 1773)

Family: Sphingidae

Subfamily: Macroglossinae

Identification: Upperside of wings is light pinkish brown. Forewing has a squarish dark spot at the center of the inner margin; hindwing is mostly pink with a broken black line separating the pink from the brown border.

Wing Span: 3 5/16 - 3 3/4 inches (8.7 - 9.6 cm).

Life History: Adults fly at night, and females lay their eggs on the upper surfaces of older leaves. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in burrows in the soil.

Flight: . One flight from June-August in the north, two flights from May-August in the south.

Caterpillar Hosts: Grape (Vitis), and ampelopsis (Ampelopsis).

Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), petunia (Petunia hybrida), mock orange (Philadelphus coronarius), and phlox (Phlox).

Habitat: A wide variety of wooded and scrubby habitats, gardens, and suburbs.

Range: Maine west to North Dakota and southern Oregon; south to south Florida, southern California, and Mexico.

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: Caterpillars are voracious feeders and can be pests in vineyards.

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