This site has been created by
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.
TAXONOMY:Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 |
MIDI MUSICcopyright C. Odenkirk ON.OFF |
In the U.S. it ranges due south of those provinces, all the way to Florida in the east, and extends it range westward to eastern California and as far south as central Texas.
As far as I know, it does not extend into Mexico.
The outer margin of the forewing is quite wavy. There is a dark cell spot and a dark oblique line mid wing from the costa almost to the inner margin. Basic ground colour is pinkish brown.At rest the lower wings are almost completely hidden. Males demonstrate a strong curve to the abdomen. The moth gets its name from the blue-gray pupil surrounded by black, with hot pink wing scales in the basal area of the hindwing. Image courtesy of John Himmelman, Connecticut, July 9, 2002. |
Paonias excaecata male, courtesy of Hynek Habal copyright
Harriette Dorkin reports a July 14, 2011, flight in Kirkland, King County, Washington.
Paonias excaecata, Peterborough, Ontario, July 6, 2005, courtesy of Tim Dyson. copyright
ECLOSION:Little is known about the eclosions of the earth pupators. Many believe the moths wiggle their way to the surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosions.The moths need to climb, hang and inflate their wings. This ventral image, courtesy of Tim Dyson, Peterborough, Ontario, July 25, 2006, shows a male (verso) at rest with the hindwing lobes projecting above the forewing costa. |
Females as well as males of this short-tongued (3.4 mm) species come in to lights and females readily deposit green, spheroid eggs (100+) in paper bags without feeding.Excaecata eggs are slightly larger than poecilus and tend to be more toward a yellow-green. Incubation lasts approximately 8 days at room temperature. These Blinded Sphinx eggs are from a female taken on June 3, 1999, in Montague, Prince Edward Island. |
Paonias excaecata hatchling, Wolf Creek, Josephine County, Oregon,
August 2011, courtesy of Edna Woodward.
Paonias excaecata second instar, Wolf Creek, Josephine County, Oregon,
August 2011, courtesy of Edna Woodward.
Larvae accept willows, birches, and cherries. I have tried all three and my larvae progressed most rapidly and grew the largest on pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica). I have found large larvae, however, in the wild on oak and poplar.The hornworm to the right (2.5 x life size, July 11, ex egg above) will grow another half inch and fatten considerably on many pin cherry leaves in the next 3-5 days before descending the branch to seek out a suitable pupation area. | Scan by Bill Oehlke |
Paonias excaecata fifth instar on scrub oak, September 24, 2008,
Walpole, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, courtesy/copyright Sam Jaffe.
Blinded sphinx pupae are smooth and shiny and a very dark chestnut colour, once they have hardened. Initially they are very soft and green. They should not be moved for a week or so to give the pupal shell time to harden.Larvae develop very stumpy legs and a reduced body size as a result of clearing the intestinal tract just prior to pupation. |
Visit Paonias excaecata, Bradford County, Florida, courtesy of Edith Smith.
Visit Paonias excaecata, Montgomery County, Texas, May 26, 2008, Tristyn Schreiber Underwood.
Visit Paonias excaecata adult, from larva found on apple, Oregon, June 29, 2009; wild female July 29, 2011, Wolf Creek, Josephine County, Oregon, courtesy of Edna Woodward.
Visit Paonias excaecata, MV light on small building on County Hwy R18, Boone County, Iowa, June 23, 2009, Thomas Jantscher.
Visit Paonias excaecata, Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, July 31, 2009, courtesy of Kerri Walonoski.
Visit Paonias excaecata female, Eddie Jones Park, Shreveport, Louisiana, April 15, 2013, Jeff Trahan.
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