Species Smerinthus cerisyi - One-eyed Sphinx - Hodges#7822

7822

Eyed Sphinx

Willow Sphinx

Cerisy's Sphinx

Cerisy's Eyed Hawk Moth

uncommon

wingspan 62-90 mm

Adult: forewing a cryptic mix of pale gray and dark brown with cross vein at end of discal cell; other veins toward outer margin usually outlined in paler brown

hindwing eyespot blue, usually with black bull's eye in middle, and thick black outer ring; small to large amount of pink shading surrounding eyespot

Larva: body pale bluish-green or yellowish-green with granular skin, pale lateral diagonal lines, faint red spiracular circles, and very pale longitudinal lines running from the head to a more pronounced anal diagonal line; anal horn red in first instar, becoming blue in later instars; head green, bounded dorsally by pale yellow inverted V

coast to coast in northern United States, plus all of Canada (including the arctic) and into Alaska, south in the west to California and across to western Texas, south in the east to Tennessee and Missouri

river margins and low ground where food plants grow

adults fly from May to July or August

larvae feed on leaves of pear, plum, poplar, willow

adults do not feed

one generation per year; overwinters as a pupa; smooth, shiny oval eggs are laid singly or in pairs from June to August

Mating: female extends scent gland from posterior of abdomen to lure night-flying males; male aligns body at 180 degrees from female during pairing, which continues until the following evening

Twin-spotted Sphinx (S. jamaicensis) hindwing has blue eyespot divided by black bar

Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecatus) hindwing has no black center in blue eyespot - hence "blinded" - and has 6-8 toothlike lobes on outer margin of forewing

live images of all life stages plus common name reference [Cerisy's Eyed Hawk Moth], biology, and other info (Jeremy Tatum, Butterflies and Moths of Southern Vancouver Island)

live images of all life stages plus biology, distribution, detailed description, rearing techniques, and other info (Bill Oehlke, silkmoths.bizland.com)

live adult images (Lynn Scott, Ontario)

pinned adult images (CBIF)

pinned adult image (Canadian Forest Service)

live adult image plus common name references [One-eyed Sphinx, Willow Sphinx], description, and other info (T. Arcand, Virtual Museum Canada)

pinned adult image [by Paul Opler] and live larva image [by Peter Bryant], plus US distribution map, description, habitat, flight season, larval foodplants (butterfliesandmoths.org)

live adult image plus common name references [Eyed Sphinx; Cerisy's Sphinx], biology, and other info (Edward Ross, California, enature.com)

distribution in Canada list of provinces and territories (CBIF)