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Species Amorpha juglandis - Walnut Sphinx - Hodges#7827
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Bombycoidea (Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths)
Family Sphingidae (Sphinx Moths)
Subfamily Smerinthinae
Tribe Smerinthini
Genus Amorpha
Species juglandis (Walnut Sphinx - Hodges#7827)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Amorpha juglandis ( Abbot and Smith, 1797). Taxonomic notes:
formerly Cressonia juglandis (and originally Sphinx juglandis)
The listing of a "Laothoe juglandis" on many web sites is presumably an error, as the species juglandis has never been formally placed in the genus Laothoe, according to the synonym history shown at FUNET - see comments on genus pageExplanation of Names JUGLANDIS: refers to the walnut genus Juglans, one of the larval host plants Numbers the only species in this genus in North America Size wingspan 45-75 mm; male smaller than female Identification Adult: forewing and hindwing color highly variable, from uniformly brown to several colors, often with a whitish, pinkish, or purplish tint; patterns range from faint to pronounced; hindwing with no "flash" pattern; outer margins of all wings scalloped to wavy; proboscis very short
Larva: body usually green (sometimes red) with numerous minute raised white granules and 7 pairs of oblique lateral yellow lines, often bearing reddish blotch at dorsal end; anal horn tinted red; markings, especially red ones, highly variable; head pointed with lateral yellow line running from eyes to crown
[adapted from description by David Wagner and Valerie Giles] Range eastern United States and southeastern Canada (Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Texas, north to Manitoba) Habitat Deciduous forests Season adults fly from March to October in the deep south (three or four broods); May to August in the north (one or two broods)
larvae present from May to October Food larvae feed on leaves of alder, beech, Black Walnut (Juglans nigra, Butternut (Juglans cinerea, cherry (Prunus spp.), chestnut, hazel (Corylus spp.), hickory (Carya spp.), Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
adults do not feed Life Cycle one to four generations per year, depending on latitude
Click on image to view a life cycle:
Remarks larva may produce a whistle-like hiss when handled Print References Covell, p. 38, plate 6 #5 (1)
Wagner, p. 14, photo larva (2)Internet References Moth Photographers Group - range map, photos of living and pinned adults.
BOLD - Barcode of Life Data Systems - species account with collection map and photos of pinned adults.
adult images and common name reference (Larry Line, Maryland)
live adult and larva images plus description, flight season, food plants (Bill Oehlke, silkmoths.bizland.com)
pinned adult image by Christian Guay (Insects of Quebec)
live larva image plus description, food plants, life cycle (David Wagner and Valerie Giles, Caterpillars of Eastern Forests, USGS)
presence in Florida; list (Michael Thomas, Florida State Collection of Arthropods)
distribution in Canada list of provinces (CBIF)
classification of Cressonia as a junior synonym of Amorpha (Butterflies and Moths of the World) Works Cited | 1. | Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company. | |
| 2. | Caterpillars of Eastern Forests
David L. Wagner, Valerie Giles, Richard C. Reardon, Michael L. McManus. 1998. U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. | |
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