Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFSphingidae Members: Sphinx Members: 3 NC Records

Sphinx drupiferarum J.E. Smith, 1797 - Wild Cherry Sphinx

Sphinx drupiferarum
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Sphingidae		Subfamily:
Sphinginae		Tribe:
Sphingini		P3 Number:
890123		 MONA Number:
7812.00		 Other Common Name:
Plum Tree Sphinx Moth
Comments: This large genus of some 27 species ranges from England to Japan and down through the Americas. There are approximately 14 resident species in North America and at least 5 in North Carolina. Two very different larval types occur in the genus and it is likely that Sphinx is composed of more than one genus.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD, iNat SearchTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Hodges (1971); Tuttle (2007)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Wagner (2005); Tuttle (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A large Sphinx Moth with forewings with a dark gray central shade running from the base to the apex, bounded by pale brownish gray on the costa and outer margin. This species looks like a very large, dark S. gordius but the forewing areas that are light in S. gordius are dark in S. drupiferarum and vice-versa. Sexes are similar.
Wingspan: 9 - 11 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are similar to those of other members of this genus with a green body and seven white oblique stripes along its sides (see Forbes, 1948, and Wagner, 2005 for details).
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Known only from historic records in the eastern Piedmont and Sandhills.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Sphinx drupiferarumAlamance 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 Hanover 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.