Morris County, New Jersey
Sphingidae

Ceratomia amyntor, Budd Lake, Morris County, New Jersey,
July 18, courtesy of John Foley.

This page is dedicated to John Foley who provides the Ceratomia amyntor image at the top of the page.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information/sightings are welcomed by Bill.

Forty-five Sphingidae species are listed for New Jersey on the BAMONA website as of July 19, 2012. Not all of the species are reported or anticipated in Morris County (only one, the Huckleberry sphinx -- (Paonias astylus) is reported on BAMONA). It is hoped that this checklist, with the thumbnails and notes, will help you quickly identify the moths you are likely to encounter.

A "WO" after the species name indicates that I (William Oehlke) expect that this moth is present or might be present, although unreported.

A "TM" indicates the moth is reported by Tony McBride.

Please help me develop this list with improved, documented accuracy by sending sightings (species, date, location), preferably with an electronic image, via email to Bill Oehlke.

Please also forward sightings to BAMONA, an excellent on-line resource.

Many thanks to John Irwin who provides the following image:

Paonias excaecata female, Morris County, New Jersey,
August 16, 2012, courtesy of John Irwin, id by Bill Oehlke.

The female Bliinded Sphinx deposited about fifteen pale green eggs before departing and John asked me what to do with the eggs. Here are my recommendations:
1) The egg shells are fairly tough and the eggs can be picked off the flat surface using one's finger nails.
2) Put the eggs in a sandwich sized plastic tub, like a tupperware tub and put the lid on tight with no air holes in the tub or lid.
A small glass jar could be used in place of the plastic tub, but again there should be no air holes. There will be plenty of oxygen in the tub or jar for the developing eggs.
3) Do not introduce any foliage to the container with the unhatched eggs until after the caterpillars have hatched.
4) My experience with this species is that eggs will incubate for about 7-9 days, depending upon indoor temperature.
When the larvae have hatched, a couple of leaves, still affixed to the twig, can be introduced.
5) Larvae will crawl onto the foliage, and then, if you wish to release the larvae back to nature, the twig with the incumbent larvae can be carefully placed on some branches of the host tree, and the larvae will fend for themselves.

If you wish to try to rear larvae from hatched eggs to adult moths, please visit instructions for Actias luna rearing. The Sphingidae eggs should be handled as per the instructions for the lunas.

Different species often have different host plant preferences. Paonias excaecata larvae do very well on cherry, willow, birch, oak, etc.

Visit Morris County Sphingidae Larvae: Caterpillars; Hornworms

Visit New Jersey Catocala: Underwing Moths

If you are travelling, you can find active Sphingidae checklists for all countries in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbbean via the links at North, Central, South American Sphingidae checklists

Sphinginae subfamily Sphingini tribe: Ceratomia amyntor WO/JF, the Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is brown with dark brown and white markings including a white costal area near the wing base, dark streaks along the veins, and a white spot in the cell. Larvae feed on Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and cherry (Prunus). Ceratomia amyntor, Budd Lake, July 19, 2012, John Foley. Ceratomia catalpae WO, the Catalpa Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is yellowish brown with no white markings, but there are indistinct black lines and dashes. The larvae feed in large groups and are much more spectacular than the moths. Catalpa is the larval host. Ceratomia undulosa WO, the Waved Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is pale brownish gray with wavy black and white lines and a black-outlined white cell spot. Dolba hyloeus WO, the Pawpaw Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with a dusting of white scales. Some moths have patches of reddish or yellowish brown on the wings. Lapara bombycoides WO, the Northern Pine Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is gray with heavy black bands. The upperside of the hindwing is brownish gray with no markings. Lapara coniferarum WO, the Southern Pine Sphinx The upperside is of the forewing is gray with two (sometimes one or three) black dashes near the wing center; other markings are usually diffuse. Lintneria eremitus WO, the Hermit Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is gray-brown with wavy lines, black dashes, and one or two small white spots near the center of the costa. Larval hosts are various species of beebalm (Monarda), mints (Mentha), bugleweed (Lycopis), and sage (Salvia). Manduca jasminearum WO, the Ash Sphinx The upperside of forewing is gray to grayish brown with a black line running from the middle of the costa to the middle of the outer margin; the line may be broken near the margin. There is a splash of brown around the cell spot. Manduca quinquemaculatus WO, the Five-spotted Hawkmoth The moth abdomen usually has five but sometimes six pairs of yellow bands. The upperside of the forewing is blurry brown and gray. I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter it. Manduca rustica WO, the Rustic Sphinx The abdomen of the adult moth has three pairs of yellow spots. The upperside of the forewing is yellowish brown to deep chocolate brown with a dusting of white scales and zigzagged black and white lines. Manduca sexta WO, the Carolina Sphinx The abdomen usually has six pairs of yellow bands, broken across the back. The sixth set of markings is quite small. The upperside of the forewing has indistinct black, brown, and white markings. Larvae get very large and can strip a tomato plant. Paratrea plebeja WO, the Plebeian Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is gray with indistinct black and white markings. There is a series of black dashes from the base to the tip, and a small white cell spot. Questionable Sphinx chersis WO, the Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is soft dark gray to blue-gray with a series of black dashes, one of which reaches the wing tip. The upperside of the hindwing is black with blurry pale gray bands. Sphinx drupiferarum WO, the Wild Cherry Sphinx Forewings, long and slender, are held close to the body when the moth is at rest. We have them on P.E.I., but I do not see them nearly as frequently as I see the other Sphingidae. Sphinx franckii WO, Franck's Sphinx Moth The outer margins of the forewings are slightly concave in the male, but not in the female. The costal half of the forewings are grey, but the posterior portion is a distinctive warm yellowish-brown; the boundary between these two areas is marked with a series of dark diagonal streaks. Sphinx gordius WO, the Apple Sphinx The upperside of the forewing ranges from brown with black borders through brownish gray with paler borders to pale gray with no borders. Dashes, submarginal line, and cell spot are usually weak. Sphinx kalmiae WO, the Laurel Sphinx The lower forewings are predominantly brownish-yellow with a fairly wide dark bar along the inner margin. At rest the wings hug the body, giving the moth a long slender look. Smerinthini Tribe: Amorpha juglandis WO, the Walnut Sphinx The adults are also highly variable; sometimes wings of an individual may be all one color or may have several colors, ranging from pale to dark brown, and may have a white or pink tinge. See the file for the female; she is different. Pachysphinx modesta WO, the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx This moth has a large, heavy body, and females can be remarkably plump. It is fond of poplars and willows. They are common on Prince Edward Island. Paonias astylus USGS, the Huckleberry Sphinx This appears to be an uncommon species. Blueberry and huckleberry (Vaccinium), cherries (Prunus) and willows (Salix) are the favorites as larval foodplants. Paonias excaecata WO/JI, the Blinded Sphinx Named for the dull grey-blue spot (minus dark pupil) in the hindwing, this moth has a wide distribution and is common in Morris County. I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported as far south as Florida. Paonias excaecata female, August 16, 2012, courtesy of John Irwin. Paonias myops WO, the Small-eyed Sphinx Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, this moth has a wide distribution and is common in Morris County. I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported as far south as Florida. Smerinthus jamaicensis WO, the Twin-spotted Sphinx This moth is widely distributed and fairly common. Along the East Coast, it flies from P.E.I. to Florida. Macroglossinae subfamily Dilophonotini tribe: See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish the next three species. Hemaris thysbe WO, the Hummingbird Clearwing It is not difficult to see why many gardeners would mistake an Hemaris thysbe moth for a small hummingbird as it hovers, sipping nectar from flowers through a long feeding tube. Hemaris diffinis WO, Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth, the Adults mimic bumblebees and are quite variable. The wings are basically clear, with dark brown to brownish-orange veins, bases and edges. The thorax is golden-brown to dark greenish-brown. Hemaris gracilis TM, the Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing Hemaris gracilis is distinguished from similar species by a pair of red-brown bands on the undersides of the thorax, which varies from green to yellow-green dorsally and sometimes brown with white underneath. They have a red abdomen. Philampelini tribe: Eumorpha achemon WO, the Achemon Sphinx This moth is not officially reported for Morris County, but it is fairly often reported along the coast from southern New Jersey to central Maine. Note the differences between this moth and the Pandorus Sphinx. Eumorpha pandorus WO, the Pandorus Sphinx If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have this species. I have often seen them in Pottersville. Macroglossini tribe: Amphion floridensis WO, the Nessus Sphinix This day flier is widely distributed. If you have Virginia Creeper, you probably have the Nessus Sphinx. Two bright, distinct, narrow yellow bands are often visible on the abdomen. Darapsa choerilus WO, the Azalea Sphinx They are common in New Jersey and common here on Prince Edward Island. You will often see this species listed as Darapsa pholus, especially in older literature. Darapsa myron WO, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx or the Grapevine Sphinx On the costal margin there is a dark rectangular patch, although this may be reduced or absent. The upperside of the hindwing is pale orange. If you have the foodplants indicated in the common names, you probably have this species nearby. Darapsa versicolor WO, the Hydrangea Sphinx If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you may have the Hydrangea Sphinx. Darapsa versicolor larvae feed on Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), and waterwillow (Decodon verticillatus). Deidamia inscriptum WO, the Lettered Sphinx The moth's outer margin of the forewing is deeply scalloped. The upperside is light brown with dark brown markings. There is a small black and white spot near the tip. The upperside of the hindwing is orange-brown with a dark brown outer margin and median line. Hyles gallii WO, the Bedstraw Hawk Moth or Gallium Sphinx Tony McBride reports two flights in Warren County, May and August. It is probably the same in Morris County. Hyles lineata WO, the White-lined Sphinx This species has been taken in Pottersville, just south of Morris County. It has strong migrating tendancies from much further south. There are records from New Hampshire and Maine. Sphecodina abbottii WO, the Abbott's Sphinx This moth is very much under reported across the United States. It is a rapid day flier so is probably not in too many collections. Grape is a popular larval host. I have taken it is Pottersville (Hunterdon County). tony McBride confirms them in nearby Warren County. Xylophanes tersa WO, the Tersa Sphinx This moth is much more common to the south. It is a strong migrant, however. Tony McBride reports them in nearby Warren County. I have taken one in Hunterdon County.

Enjoy some of nature's wonderments, giant silk moth cocoons. These cocoons are for sale winter and fall. Beautiful Saturniidae moths will emerge the following spring and summer. Read Actias luna rearing article. Additional online help available.

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