Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths (Bombycoidea) » Sphinx Moths (Sphingidae) » Macroglossinae » Dilophonotini » Pseudosphinx » Tetrio Sphinx - Hodges#7830 (Pseudosphinx tetrio)

Species Pseudosphinx tetrio - Tetrio Sphinx - Hodges#7830

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Tetrio Sphinx - Pseudosphinx tetrio Tetrio Sphinx - Pseudosphinx tetrio Pseudosphinx tetrio - male huge fleshy caterpillar - Pseudosphinx tetrio What is this? - Pseudosphinx tetrio Large sphinx - Pseudosphinx tetrio Pseudosphinx tetrio Pseudosphinx tetrio
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
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 Macroglossinae
Tribe Dilophonotini
Genus Pseudosphinx
Species tetrio (Tetrio Sphinx - Hodges#7830)
Hodges Number
7830
Other Common Names
Frangipani caterpillar, The Giant Gray Sphinx.
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
First described in 1771 by Linnaeus as Sphinx tetrio
Pseudosphinx tetrio
Size
5 - 5 1/2 inches (12.7 - 14 cm) wingspan (2)
Identification
The larva of this hawkmoth has a long thread-like anal horn. It is very strikingly colored, the body being purplish black, girdled with yellow rings between the segments, and the head and anal claspers being bright red, of the color of sealing wax.(1)
Range
The insect occurs not uncommonly in southern Florida.(1)
Food
The larvae feed on Frangipani Plumeria, and other plants in the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae).
Print References
Holland (1)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group
Butterflies and Moths of North America (2)
Bill Oehlke's Sphingidae of the Americas
Featured Creatures
Mantissa Plantarum altera, p.538    Linnaeus' original description of the species
Works Cited
1.The Moth Book
W. J. Holland. 1922. Doubleday, Page & Company.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Matthew Roth, Chuck Entz, Maury Heiman
Last updated 17 October, 2011 - 9:04pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact