Five-spotted hawkmoth
Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803)
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
Displaying 121 - 144 of 686 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 23, 2015
Submitted by: shepjack
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Aug 31, 2015
Observation date: Aug 04, 2015
Submitted by: Shelley Rutkin
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: AllenRatz
Verified date: Aug 05, 2015
Observation date: Jun 22, 2015
Submitted by: Chila2015
Region: Yakima County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 29, 2015
Observation date: Jul 10, 2015
Submitted by: Fisherboy
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 29, 2015
Observation date: Aug 31, 2014
Submitted by: rockifields
Region: Platte County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Steve Spomer
Verified date: May 14, 2015
Observation date: Jul 10, 2014
Submitted by: cherylbrooks
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: May 06, 2015
Observation date: Jul 10, 2014
Submitted by: Bicycle Bunny
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: May 06, 2015
Observation date: Jun 10, 2014
Submitted by: falecore
Region: Kings County, New York, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Mar 27, 2015
Observation date: Jun 30, 2013
Submitted by: patmatt
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Josiah Gilbert
Verified date: Mar 11, 2015
Observation date: Jun 26, 1965
Submitted by: Indy Entomologist
Region: Allen County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Feb 22, 2015
Observation date: Jun 27, 2012
Submitted by: klebo
Region: Jackson County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Feb 14, 2015
Observation date: Oct 05, 1981
Submitted by: Indy Entomologist
Region: Texas, McCulloch County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 30, 2015
Observation date: Jul 27, 2013
Submitted by: newbuginidaho
Region: Gooding County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jan 28, 2015
Observation date: Aug 24, 2014
Submitted by: finatic
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Dec 05, 2014
Observation date: Jul 18, 2014
Submitted by: coreyk
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Dec 03, 2014
Observation date: Sep 15, 2014
Submitted by: bo4dotty
Region: Cass County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig
Verified date: Nov 14, 2014
Observation date: Aug 22, 2014
Submitted by: finatic
Region: Pinal County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 22, 2014
Observation date: Aug 14, 2014
Submitted by: fluffycat567
Region: El Paso County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 21, 2014
Observation date: Sep 09, 2014
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 10, 2014
Observation date: Aug 21, 2014
Submitted by: finatic
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 09, 2014
Observation date: Aug 01, 2014
Submitted by: jim.odonater
Region: Graham County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 05, 2014
Observation date: Aug 22, 2014
Submitted by: finatic
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Sep 05, 2014
Observation date: Aug 28, 2014
Submitted by: Takoda
Region: Montgomery County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 01, 2014
Observation date: Aug 25, 2014
Submitted by: joelleadams84
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Josiah Gilbert
Verified date: Aug 26, 2014
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