This Sphinx moth cat was crawling on my Hot Lips Salvia beneath a Rose of Sharon, near some Duranta misc. vines, and a Pecan and Elm tree in close proximitry. Have no clue what it was eating or had eaten. Could have fallen and was ready for pupa stage. It is quite large, see my thumb for reference.
#1 for size
This message was edited Nov 3, 2009 4:06 PM
This pic shows it's tail.
still #1
This could be an unusual color morph of the pink-spotted hawkmoth caterpillar, Agrius cingulata (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) - see http://tinyurl.com/ykkampz for a head shot.
This is the second sphinx. It was found on cannas near Frostweed but also in area of pecan and elm trees.
#2 cat for ID
This is a ting cat found on cannas. It is only about an inch long.
#3 cat for ID
Would this be the adult of one of them? I never asked an id on this one from last year. It is in the same area of the first caterpillar. The underneath was a pale gold on the body.
This message was edited Nov 3, 2009 8:29 AM
The second sphinx moth caterpillar most likely is a tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta - see http://tinyurl.com/ykmz4tm for an image. The small caterpillar is in the family Limacodidae (slug caterpillars); it could be a spiny oak slug, Euclea delphinii, a highly variable species- see http://tinyurl.com/ya2kywz for an example. Handle with care; contact with their venomous spines can be very painful! Although the moth shown is too battered to be certain, it is possible that it is an adult of your first sphinx moth (Agrius cingulatus) - see http://tinyurl.com/yja9mad for a fresh specimen; note the bands on the legs.
Thanks for all the ids suunto!
Found some great pictures of two other moths. Can you give me an Id on these so I can give them a name?
The back leg is striped.
#4
This message was edited Nov 3, 2009 5:33 PM
#5 Last one.
The first moth appears to be a tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) - see http://tinyurl.com/yjhk4wn for images of this and the closely related tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata). The second moth is in the family Noctuidae, a Catocala sp.; these collectively are known as underwings. Although this one resembles Catocala piatrix (see http://tinyurl.com/yfe5a34, I hesitate to put a specific name on it because there are many species in this genus with a roughly similar wing pattern, and all can exhibit a fair amount of individual variation.
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Thanks again.
