DISTRIBUTION:

Grote's Sphinx, Cautethia grotei grotei, [wingspan: 1 1/8 - 1 9/16 inches (2.8 - 4 cm)], flies at dusk in Florida (specimen type locality), Cuba, the Bahamas, Cayman Isands and possibly Hispaniola and Jamaica. It has been known to range farther north to Tennessee, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, and even New Hampshire.

Cautethia grotei on sheet, attracted to black light,
Islamorada, Monroe Co., Florida, February 15, 2009,
courtesy of Kevin and Shelby Heeter.

The upperside of the forewing is pale silvery gray with black markings; in some moths the wing base may be very dark. The upperside of the hindwing is deep yellow-orange with a black border that covers less than half the wing.

Cautethia apisa Jordan, 1940 is a synonym for Cautethia grotei grotei.

Cautethia grotei nectaring at dusk on Draceana fragrans
Islamorada, Monroe County, Florida, December 22, 2008, courtesy of Kevin and Shelby Heeter.

FLIGHT TIMES:

Cautethia grotei grotei adults fly as multiple broods in Florida and nectar at flowers, including Asystasia gangetica and Draceana fragrans, beginning at dusk.

Cautethia grotei nectaring at dusk on Draceana fragrans
Islamorada, Monroe County, Florida, December 22, 2008, courtesy of Kevin and Shelby Heeter.

ECLOSION:

Pupae probably wiggle to surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosion.

Cautethia grotei nectaring at dusk,
Islamorada, Monroe County, Florida, January 2, 2009, courtesy of Kevin and Shelby Heeter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen.

Cautethia grotei nectaring at dusk,
Islamorada, Monroe County, Florida, January 2, 2009, courtesy of Kevin and Shelby Heeter.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae feed on David's milkberry/snowberry (Chiococca alba) in the madder family (Rubiaceae) and have also been found on black torch (Erithalis fruiticosa) and Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus).

Cautethia grotei fifth instar on Snowberry (Chiococca alba),
Key Largo, Monroe County, Florida, courtesy of James P. Tuttle.

Cautethia grotei fifth instar, courtesy of James P. Tuttle;
I could not get this slide to scan properly??

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

I have no idea about the origin of "Cautethia" and am not at all sure of its pronunciation.

The species name "grotei" is honourific for Augustus Radcliffe Grote.

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Cautethia grotei grotei

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