Page 455 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Sphingidae
DISTRIBUTION Northern Europe, Siberia, and eastern Russia into
northwest China
HABITAT Wet woodlands, especially near rivers and lakes
HOST PLANTS Aspen (Populus tremula) and willow (Salix spp.)

NOTE Plump, green caterpillar that is di cult to spot among leaves
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but not threatened

ADULT WINGSPAN
2
–3⅞ in (71–98 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 –3⅛ in (65–80 mm)
LAOTHOE AMURENSIS
ASPEN HAWKMOTH 453

(STAUDINGER, 1892)

Aspen Hawkmoth caterpillars emerge from glossy, green-yellow
eggs laid on the underside of leaves of the host plant. The female
hawkmoth lays around 100 of the dorsoventrally attened eggs,

which hatch up to 12 days later. The young caterpillars are pale
green with faint, yellow markings; oblique stripes appear at later
instars. The larvae feed by night on the leaves of their host plants,
consuming all of the leaf except the midrib. During the day, they
rest under a leaf, and older caterpillars take on a sphinxlike pose, The Aspen Hawkmoth caterpillar is bright
with their head lifted and tucked under the thorax. green and covered in tiny, yellow spots. There
are seven distinctive, short, oblique yellow
stripes along both sides, the last contiguous
with the short, yellow horn. There are two
The caterpillars crawl down the tree to pupate, burrowing yellow stripes on the head.
into the soil at the base of a tree or grassy tussock. The pupae
overwinter, and the adults eclose and are on the wing in
midsummer the following year. The Aspen Hawkmoth is named
for the green caterpillar’s favorite food plant, the leaves of which
also provide perfect camou age.

Actual size