Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Sphingidae Members:	Manduca Members:	64 NC Records

Manduca jasminearum (Guérin, [1831]) - Ash Sphinx

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Taxonomy

Superfamily:
Bombycoidea

Family:
Sphingidae

Subfamily:
Sphinginae

Tribe:
Sphingini

P3 Number:
890096

MONA Number:
7783.00

Comments: A large Neotropical genus (63 species) of which 4 occur in North Carolina.

Species Status: Barcodes indicate that Manduca jasminearum 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, BOLD

Technical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Tuttle (2007)

Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Hodges (1971); Tuttle (2007)

Adult Markings: A large, brownish sphinx moth with a strong dark line running diagonally across the forewing. Can be confused with the common Ceratomia undulosa. The latter has three lateral black lines in the forewing whereas M. jaminearum has the one principal line, which is much broader than in C. undulosa, and a small medial dash below it. There is only a faint white reniform spot, if any, unlike the conspicuous spot found in C.undulosa. Sexes are similar.

Wingspan: 8.4 - 10.5 cm

Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.

Immatures and Development: Larvae are pale yellowish-green with seven pale, oblique, lateral stripes, with the last edged with red and darker green (Forbes, 1948). Pupation occurs underground.

Distribution in North Carolina

Distribution: Probably occurs across most of the state, with the possible exceptions of the Barrier Islands and High Mountains.

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.


Flight Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
Flight Comments: A single brood with adults usually in June and July, more common in the mid-elevation forests of the mountains.

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: We have too few records to say much specifically about the range of habitats used by this species. Most come from rich riparian areas, including brownwater river floodplains in the Coastal Plain. In the Mountains, mesic upland habitats are used, probably where there are mafic soils that are preferred by ashes.

Larval Host Plants: Larvae are believed to be stenophagous on ash (Fraxinus spp.) but larvae are rarely found in the wild (Forbes, 1948; Covell, 1984). Green Ash (F. pennsylvanica) and White Ash (F. americana) are probably the main species used. None of our records come from swamp forests, where Pumpkin Ash (F. profunda) and Carolina Ash (F. caroliniana) occur. There is a BugGuide record (Maria de Bruyn, 2016) for a larva on an unidentified ash in North Carolina, but more research is needed into the specific hosts used in our state. - View

Observation Methods: Adults are found where there is ash in hardwood forests. There are no nectaring records but the species seems to come readily to lights but not baits -- in the right habitat, this species can be quite regular at lights placed in forested areas.

Wikipedia

See also Habitat Account for General Ash Forests

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status: [W-TH]

Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G4G5 SNR [S2S3]

State Protection: None currently, but we recommend that it be added to the Natural Heritage Program Watch List.

Comments: This species is likely to be a specialist on habitats with rich soils, which are preferred by most of our ash species (swamp species being the only exceptions). Such habitats are still plentiful in the state and the absence of records from areas such as the Lower Roanoke Floodplain, where ashes are abundant, suggests that this species may be undersampled unless mercury-vapor or high intensity UV floodlamps are used. Whatever its pre-Emerald Ash Borer status in North Carolina, the arrival of that exotic beetle in the state in 2013 poses a severe threat to this species and to other ash specialists. If ash species go the way of the American Chestnut -- which seems possible -- there is a good chance that this species could go extinct within the next 50 years (see Wagner, 2007, for a discussion of this threat).

Photo Gallery for Manduca jasminearum - Ash Sphinx

61 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-07-19 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-08-04 Transylvania Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2023-08-04 Transylvania Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-08-01 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-31 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-28 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-25 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, Rich Teper on 2023-07-22 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-21 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-14 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-10 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2023-07-10 Yancey Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-08 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-28 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-22 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-18 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-16 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-13 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-13 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-13 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-11 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-10 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-08 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-05 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-02 Buncombe Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: tom ward on 2022-06-30 Buncombe Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-05-19 Wake Co. Comment: