Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFSphingidae Members: Manduca Members: 58 NC Records

Manduca rustica (Fabricius, 1775) - Rustic Sphinx


Manduca rusticaManduca rustica
view caption
Manduca rusticaManduca rustica
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea
Family:
Sphingidae
Subfamily:
Sphinginae
Tribe:
Sphingini
P3 Number:
890092
MONA Number:
7778.00
Comments: A large Neotropical genus (63 species) of which 4 occur in North Carolina.
Species Status: Barcodes indicate that Manduca rustica 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 moth with a strikingly pattern of brown and white patches, overlaid by fine scalloped brown lines; has a small white discal spot. One of the largest members of the genus, this handsome moth always attracts attention. It is much larger than Dolba hyloeus which has a similar pattern.
Wingspan: 8.7 - 15 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are green with the typical pattern of pale lateral lines, but with distinctive raised granules on the thorax, along the lines, and on the tail (Forbes, 1948; Wagner, 2005).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Most of our records -- including all recent ones -- come from the Coastal Plain.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Manduca rusticaAlamance 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: Appears to have just one flight period in the late summer.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Most commonly found in wooded areas but likely to occur around any strong source of light as the species is a strong flyer.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding primarily on the Bignoniaceae, but also recorded from a wide array of plants. Among the reported hosts are Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), ash (Fraxinus), sunflower (Helianthus), and privet (Ligustrum) (Wagner, 2005; Mejia et al., 2020). In North Carolina, larvae have frequently been recorded feeding on American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), with other records including Fringetree, Lantana, Gardenia, Buddleja, and privet. - View
Observation Methods: Adults commonly come to flowers at dusk; periwinkle is a favorite. Attracted to lights, especially strong lights such as mercury vapor, but in smaller numbers to 15 watt UV lights. Does not come to baits. One is lucky to see this species on an annual basis but the use of mercury vapor or strong spotlights increases the chances.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands
Comments: Rarely observed but that may be due to the lack of collecting using mercury-vapor lights or other strong UV-emitting lights. Host plants and habitats do not appear to be a restricting factor.

 Photo Gallery for Manduca rustica - Rustic Sphinx

58 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Manduca rusticaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-04-10
Carteret Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Bre Owens on 2024-08-14
Hoke Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-04
Madison Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-08-04
Madison Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-29
Carteret Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-23
Carteret Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-17
Wilson Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Maurice Cullen, Todd Pusser, F. Williams, S. Williams on 2024-07-08
Gates Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: M. Crawford on 2024-06-29
Jackson Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Sarah Toner on 2024-06-19
Dare Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Sarah Toner on 2024-06-19
Dare Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-06-17
Lincoln Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Jesse C Shaw on 2024-06-12
Brunswick Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Andrew W. Jones on 2023-09-07
Polk Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-24
Buncombe Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-08-22
Orange Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-24
Wake Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-07-12
Wake Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: David George, Stephen Dunn, Jeff Niznik on 2023-06-25
Orange Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-16
Transylvania Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-06-16
Transylvania Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2023-06-13
Wake Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther on 2023-05-26
New Hanover Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-09-13
Wake Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-09-01
Wake Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2022-08-14
Orange Co.
Comment: on Callicarpa americana
Manduca rusticaRecorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-07-26
Greene Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan, and Steve Hall on 2022-07-24
Moore Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-06-25
Wake Co.
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Manduca rusticaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-08-14
Wake Co.
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