Is this a Mournful Sphinx Moth cat? - Eumorpha fasciatus

Pachysphinx modesta (modest s

Pachysphinx modesta (modest sphinx) feeds on poplar and willow--Not an ID directly, but just a possible direction to look.

Nina

… Nina, 13 April, 2008 - 11:43am

Ludwigia is actually in the Evening Primrose family

no relation to willow - it's a misleading common name, presumably based on the leaf shape.

I don't know what this is but it's not Mournful Sphinx - the diagonal stripes point away from the horn, not towards it. That narrows it down quite a bit - the other direction is much more common. Eumorpha spp. have this kind of stripe, but I'm not sure which others do. Did it even have a visible horn? I don't see it in either of these shots.

UPDATE: after searching the Hosts database (using plant family Onagraceae, moth family Sphingidae and location USA), I think this is the green form of Eumorpha fasciatus. Compare below:

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 13 April, 2008 - 3:39pm

thanks Hannah-- botanist, I'm

thanks Hannah-- botanist, I'm not. 8;)

I'm glad you could find a close match via your search b/c I couldn't find any cats that had those stripes heading in that reverse direction. Also, thanks for showing how you did your host plant search--I learned something new today.
Nina

… Nina, 14 April, 2008 - 6:26am

Thanks for the ID and the inf

Thanks for the ID and the information. I had never visited that website before. Looks like it will be fun to explore. This caterpillar did not have a horn. It is amazing how many variations these cats have. Again, thank you for the info.

… EclecticNature, 13 April, 2008 - 10:13pm

I agree with you Hannah.

… Ryan, 13 April, 2008 - 7:59pm