Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012) | Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLD | Technical 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. |