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Photo#573954
sphinx moth caterpillar? - Smerinthus astarte

sphinx moth caterpillar? - Smerinthus astarte
Lincoln County, Montana, USA
September 4, 2011
Size: approx. 4 inches
Found in a forest location, on the ground. I believe it is a sphinx moth caterpillar? The "horn" is a lovely blue. There are tiny white dots along the body, and the head had 2 yellow areas.

Images of this individual: tag all
sphinx moth caterpillar? - Smerinthus astarte sphinx moth caterpillar? - Smerinthus astarte

Moved
Moved from Sphinx Moths.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

not a great angle
but reminds me of Great Ash Sphinx Larva - Sphinx chersis

 
I'm learning!
I just was told that these caterpillars can lose their "V"s as they grow and are close to pupating!!! So, that explains why this caterpillar doesn't look exactly like the other images. Thank you so much for steering me in the right direction, and helping me learn, explore, and ultimately solve a fun mystery! :))

 
thanks!
Sorry about the angle...I had more photos, but this was the best of the entire body. It was late evening, and daylight was waning. And, as I always do...left it there to enjoy it's life. I'll look into your suggestion right away!

 
sorry...
I went to look at the Great Ash Sphnix Moth larva, but the larva I saw did not look like the images. M-m-m... Thanks again, though! I'll post a photo of one of the Sphinx moths that we have locally, and maybe that will be a lead?

 
Definitely a Sphinx Moth; I suspect Smerinthus or close relative
I have a very similar one from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico (pre-pupa right now) that I think may be the same. I'm hoping to see the adult, but it may not be till next spring. I'll post photos of mine tomorrow, and maybe we can both get a species ID :0).

 
Thank you!
That would be terrific if we found the same critter so far apart! I'll be looking forward to your photos! Thanks for confirming my Sphinx moth guess...I'm trying! I try to figure things out before begging for help from all you experts! We do have Sphinx moths around here...got some nice photos of the adults, so it was a good shot I thought! And gee...spring is so far away right now...I'll have to be patient, too! :) I'll post a photo of a Sphnix moth that we have locally, taken in July 2011. Maybe that will help identify the larva?

 
found the same little guy
HI thanks for you photos and posts, I just found one of these and was happy to look up his name. I'm in Victoria BC Canada and he was just in my yard. He's huge! His blue spike is just beautiful.

 
still interesting...
You're so welcome for my pics & posts. I still can't resist pausing and checking out new bugs. It's interesting how wide-ranging these little critters are!

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