Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFSphingidae Members: Manduca Members: 118 NC Records

Manduca sexta (Linnaeus, 1763) - Carolina Sphinx

Manduca sexta
view caption 		Manduca sextaManduca sextaManduca sexta
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Sphingidae		Subfamily:
Sphinginae		Tribe:
Sphingini		P3 Number:
890090		 MONA Number:
7775.00		 Other Common Names:
Tobacco Hornworm, Six-spotted Sphinx Moth
Comments: A large Neotropical genus (63 species) of which 10 occur in the United States and 4 in North Carolina. This is our most well-known species.
Species Status: Barcodes indicate that Manduca sexta is a single, well-defined species in our area.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Hodges (1971); Tuttle (2007)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Wagner (2005); Tuttle (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A large, grayish-brown sphinx moth. Manduca sexta is very similar and often confused with M. quinquemaculatus which is grayer but similar in size and feeds on many of the same plants. M. sexta is browner and on the hindwing there is a median thick black line formed by the merger of two lines. In M. quinquemaculatus these two black lines are separate for their entire length with gray between them. Additionally, M. sexta has a series of small white dots at the base of the forewing which are absent in M. quinquemaculatus. The overall pattern is smudged in M. sexta but distinct, crisp and quite elegant in M. quinquemaculatus.
Wingspan: 10.5 - 12 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are green or brown and have seven oblique white lines along their sides, along with a reddish horn (Wagner, 2005). Pupation occurs underground.
Larvae ID Requirements: Unmistakable and widely known.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: This species occurs across the state, but is rare in the high mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Manduca sextaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Flight Comments: Probably two principal broods.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species occurs in open agricultural areas throughout the state. The larvae are known as tobacco hornworms and are a common pest of tomatoes in home gardens and tobacco in agricultural fields.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed on most members of the Solanaceae but most often on tobacco and tomato; other reported hosts include ground-cherry (Physalis) and Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) (Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, most of our records are from garden tomatoes, but we also have records from tobacco, garden peppers, Devil's-trumpet (Datura innoxia), and eggplant. - View
Observation Methods: Adults are active from dusk onward at flowers and are attracted to strong lights, such as mercury-vapor lamps, but come only in small numbers to 15 watt UV lights. They do not come to baits.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Found primarily in agricultural areas and is not of conservation concern in North Carolina

 Photo Gallery for Manduca sexta - Carolina Sphinx

 87 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-09-16
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-15
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-09-11
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-09-03
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-26
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-25
Wake Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-19
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Tracey Pittman on 2025-08-06
McDowell Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-03
Moore Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-07-04
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Chuck Smith on 2024-09-16
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-12
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-06
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-03
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Kai Milroy on 2024-09-03
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2024-08-20
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2024-08-20
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-08-19
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-07-17
Durham Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2024-07-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Morgan Freese on 2023-10-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2023-09-03
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Rob Van Epps on 2023-08-14
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-08-08
Wake Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-08-08
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dawn-Michelle Oliver on 2023-07-30
Caswell Co.
Comment:
Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-24
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Manduca sexta
Recorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-07-18
Polk Co.
Comment: