Moths of North Carolina
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Lapara Members:
463 NC Records

Lapara coniferarum (J.E. Smith, 1797) - Southern Pine Sphinx

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: SphingidaeSubfamily: SphinginaeTribe: SphinginiP3 Number: 890135.00 MONA Number: 7816.00
Comments: Lapara currently contains three species, all occurring in the United States. The interrelationships between the species are complex and the last word has yet to be written. This common species is a taxonomic puzzle.
Species Status: Three species are currently recognized but barcoding points to a very different picture. Lapara phaeobrachycerous ranges from Louisiana across the Gulf States and up to South Carolina. It does not penetrate peninsular Florida. Barcoding places the species squarely within L. coniferarum which extends from about southern Pa. to Florida and west to the Mississippi River including the entire range of L. phaeobrachycerous. While there are morphological differences upon which the name phaeobrachycerous was based, these may only be geographical character changes that do not support calling it a separate species in light of genetic continuity. L. bombycoides, as currently conceived, extends across Canada and swoops down the Appalachians. In the mountains and in the piedmont we have specimens which resemble both L. bombycoides and L. coniferarum with the degree of black streaks in the pattern separating the two. Intermediates between the two defined patterns also exist and are not uncommon. Barcoding of specimens from across the state reveal one homogeneous species. Unfortunately, there are no specimens barcoded from the area south of Canada to North Carolina but it is only in Canada that the barcodes are distinct and represent true L. bombycoides. Instead of treating the streaked specimens L. bombycoides and the more uniform specimens L. coniferarum, we are treating the entire complex in North Carolina as L. coniferarum. The butterfly, Cercyonis pegala, presents a similar character segregation across the state. At this point we are unable to distinguish many of our piedmont and montane specimens from true L. bombycoides but there is no genetic evidence that we have more than one species here.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Hodges (1971); Tuttle (2007)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Wagner (2005); Tuttle (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A medium sized sphinx moth with a gray ground color shaded with brown and streaked with black; has a jagged, pale gray postmedian. Sexes are similar.
Wingspan: 5 - 5.7 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are distinctive: green with three longitudinal pale bands instead of the usual seven oblique stripes; has a red face and no caudal horn. There is also a very rare caterpillar morph described in Tuttle (2007) which has been found in North Carolina but no adult moth has been reared from this morph to see if it differs from the standard form. Pupation occurs underground.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Occurs statewide, from the Outer Banks to the High Mountains (as bombycoides).
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)

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