Sphinx Kalmiae, the Laurel Sphinx

SPHINX KALMIAE, THE LAUREL SPHINX

Sphinx kalmiae by Bill Oehlke

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
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Genus: Sphinx (Linnaeus, 1758)
Species: kalmiae (J.E. Smith, 1797)........

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DISTRIBUTION:

Sphinx kalmiae, the Laurel Sphinx (tongue length 40 mm), is found in the eastern third of North America from the maritime provinces to northern Florida. The lower wings are predominantly black with a fairly wide off-white band.

FLIGHT TIMES:

In Canada, Sphinx kalmiae is single-brooded with most adults on the wing in June and July. In New Jersey and states of that latitiude, the Laurel Sphinx is double-brooded. There are as many as six broods in Louisiana with the first brood appearing in early to mid April.

Here on P.E.I. I tend to see kalmiae (mostly males) at lights in July and early August.

ECLOSION:

Little is known about the eclosions of the earth pupators, but many believe pupae wiggle toward the surface just prior to emergence.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Kalmiae females extend a scent gland from the posterior of the abdomen to lure in the night flying males.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Laurel Sphinx larvae feed primarily on lilac and fringe. This day old larva is well camouflaged on the underside main lilac leaf vein.
Female Sphinx kalmiae don't seem to come to lights nearly as readily as males, but when captured they will readily oviposit inside a brown paper bag.

I remove the eggs with my thumb nail to a small, clear plastic hatching container and then move (gently with a spoon) the hatchlings to a food container.

Lilac keeps quite well as cut food in buckets or lidded containers, and it is easy to rear most sphingidae indoors on such cuttings, even in close quarters.

The fourth instar larvae to the right now has some of the distinctive markings and colouration of kalmiae and can consume several lilac leaves in a 24 hour period, leaving just a centimeter or two of leaf stem.

Rearing quarters should be cleaned regularly, and care should be taken to avoid excessive humidity.

The fifth instar larva to the right will leave foliage in a day or so and crawl around the bottom of the container looking for soil in which to pupate. Scans by Bill Oehlke

I pick up such Sphingidae larvae with my fingers and gently put them in a bucket, bottom-lined with several layers of loose, dry paper towels. The larvae will crawl under the towelling and pupate on the bottom of the bucket.

This method, a warm dark bucket lined with paper towelling, is sufficient to induce pupation in most of the earth pupators.
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