Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
« »
View PDFSphingidae Members:
Pachysphinx Members:
4 NC Records

Pachysphinx modesta (Harris, 1839) - Big Poplar Sphinx

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: SphingidaeSubfamily: SmerinthinaeTribe: SmerinthiniP3 Number: 890148.00 MONA Number: 7828.00
Comments: This genus contains three similar species but members of the genus are quite unlike other Sphingids in our area.
Species Status: Bar coding indicates homogeneity of populations in the eastern half of the country but perhaps hidden species out west among Pachysphinx modesta and its replacement, P. occidentalis. In the West and Southwest, it blends into other species whose limits are unclear.
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: This large, greenish-brown moth with reddish pink hindwings is unique in the East. Sexes are similar.
Wingspan: 10 - 12 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are large and stout, usually pale green but sometimes brown. The usual sphingid pattern of seven pale oblique lines are present on the sides, with the last one running up onto the short caudal horn. The body is covered with white granules (see Wagner, 2005, for details).
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Known in North Carolina only from a single record from Cabarrus County in the western Piedmont. Host plants occur more widely, particularly in brownwater floodplains in the Coastal Plain, but the species has not yet been recorded in that area.
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