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Photo#181905
hornworm - Sphinx poecila

hornworm - Sphinx poecila
kenora, Ontario, Canada
July 9, 2006
Caterpillars of Eastern North America suggests this to be a Wild Cherry Sphinx (drupiferarum) OR a Clemen's Sphinx (luscitiosa) That's the closest I can find in either of my caterpillar books.

Moved
Moved from Clemens' Sphinx.

Sphinx poecila
This should be Sphinx poecila rather than S. lucitiosa. The lack of yellowish band on the head capsule, lack of stippling near prolegs, and the purple/black streaks fit better with that species.

Moved
Moved from Sphinx Moths.

Moved

 
You two usually are pretty de
You two usually are pretty definite about your identifications and I'm hoping that you can properly label this one for me. It's a different year, but the cats are starting to appear and I'd like to be ready with proper IDs. I'm currently raising 5 hornworms from my grape plants, indoors so I can watch them. I have NO idea what they are, and will post photos as they grow.

 
We're gonna go with luscitiosa on this one.
The white under the black diagonals is wide and the horn is black. We would expect narrower white bands and a pinkish horn on drupiferarum. Oehlke has an image almost identical to yours here down near the bottom. 5th instar. We'll move it there. What about food plant? Wagner says pg 260, drupiferarum on apple, cherry, plum; luscitiosa on poplar and willow. Does that fit with your findings?

http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/
http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Sphinx+drupiferarum&flags=col2:&res=640

another site, another very similar photo, this one listed as Wild Cherry Sphinx.

Hmmm
I didn't realize other sphinx caterpillars could so closely resemble the tobacco hornworm, which is the only sphinx I have reared.