Five-spotted hawkmoth Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803)

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Family: Sphingidae

Subfamily: Sphinginae

Identification: Abdomen usually has 5 but sometimes 6 pairs of yellow bands. Forewing is blurry brown and gray. Hindwing is banded with brown and white and has 2 well-separated median zigzag bands. Forewing fringes are grayish, not distinctly spotted with white.

Wing Span: 3 9/16 - 5 5/16 inches (9 - 13.5 cm).

Life History: Adults fly at dusk, and females deposit eggs singly on the upper surface of host plant leaves. The caterpillars are called Tomato Hornworms and each has a black horn at the end of the abdomen. Caterpillars have huge appetites for leaves and fruits and can defoliate plants quickly. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in soil burrows.

Flight: . Several broods from February-October in Florida and from April-October in Louisiana, at least two broods from May-October in the rest of the range.

Caterpillar Hosts: Potato, tobacco, tomato, and other plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), petunia (Petunia hybrida), bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis), tobacco (Nicotiana), and phlox (Phlox).

Habitat: Tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and wherever host plants are found.

Range: Mexico north throughout most of the United States and occasionally southern Canada, but it is uncommon in the Southeast and the Great Plains.

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 pests on tomato and other plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

Comments: NULL

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Verified Sightings

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Observation date: Aug 06, 2009

Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Kimberly With)

Region: Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States

Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)

Verified date: Sep 24, 2009

Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

National Moth Week is July 18-26!

Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.

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Five-spotted hawkmoth
Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803)