Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFSphingidae Members: Manduca Members: 22 NC Records

Manduca quinquemaculatus (Haworth, 1803) - Five-spotted Hawk Moth

Manduca quinquemaculatus
view caption 		Manduca quinquemaculatusManduca quinquemaculatusManduca quinquemaculatus
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Sphingidae		Subfamily:
Sphinginae		Tribe:
Sphingini		P3 Number:
890091		 MONA Number:
7776.00		 Other Common Names:
Tomato Hornworm, Five-spotted Hawkmoth, The Yellow-spotted Unicorn
Comments: A large Neotropical genus (63 species) of which 4 occur in North Carolina. This is our second most common of 4 species.
Species Status: Barcodes indicate that Manduca quinquemaculatus 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; sexes similar. Less common than M. sexta with which it is frequently confused. It is grayer with a crisp, distinct pattern whereas the pattern in M. sexta is browner and smudged. Note the parallel median lines with gray filling in the hindwing. These lines are largely fused into a single broad line in M. sexta.
Wingspan: 9 - 13.5 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 white lateral stripes similar to the larvae of M. sexta. Distinguishable from sexta by its possession of a series of broken pale stripes below the spiracles, forming a series of v-shaped marks together with the lateral stripes (Forbes, 1948).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Manduca quinquemaculatusAlamance 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: One principal brood exists over much of the East (Wagner, 2005)
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Found throughout the state in open agricultural lands.
Larval Host Plants: Like Manduca sexta, this species prefers Solanaceous hosts, with caterpillars frequently found on tobacco, tomato, and potato plants (Forbes, 1948; Wagner, 2005). In North Carolina, larvae have been recorded on garden tomatoes. - View
Observation Methods: Adults visit flowers at night, especially those with long corollas. They readily come to strong lights, such as mercury-vapor, but only in small numbers to 15 watt UV lights. They do not to 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 [S3S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: Rarely taken in numbers yet one's tomato plants indicate they are not uncommon. Like many sphingids found in urban settings, they are not attracted to weak lighting and are able to co-exist in our cities. Of no conservation concern in North Carolina

 Photo Gallery for Manduca quinquemaculatus - Five-spotted Hawk Moth

Photos: 9
Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2023-08-25
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: F. Williams, S. Williams on 2022-06-27
Gates Co.
Comment:
Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Danielle Wieberg on 2021-06-04
Iredell Co.
Comment: 		Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Danielle Wieberg on 2021-06-04
Iredell Co.
Comment:
Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-20
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-06-29
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Paul Scharf on 2011-06-30
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Doug Blatny, Jackie Nelson on 2010-08-21
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Manduca quinquemaculatusRecorded by: Paul Scharf on 2010-07-10
Warren Co.
Comment: