Page 457 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Sphingidae
DISTRIBUTION Areas of South and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan,
and Hawaii
HABITAT Forests, parks, gardens, and abandoned land
HOST PLANTS Stinkvine (Paederia foetida) and Psychotria rubra
NOTE Stout, green caterpillar that feeds on young leaves
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but not threatened

ADULT WINGSPAN
1⅝–2
in (42–56 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 in (50 mm)
MACROGLOSSUM PYRRHOSTICTA
MAILE PILAU HORNWORM 455

BUTLER, 1875

Maile Pilau Hornworms hatch from round, white eggs,
which the adult female lays singly on the underside of young
leaves. The young caterpillars are dark gray and have a shiny
appearance. They feed on the youngest leaves and rest on the
underside of leaves. The older larvae, which are apple green
to bluish green in color, prefer to rest on the twining stems of
the host plant. During the hotter summer months, they retreat
deeper into the foliage of their host plants. The Maile Pilau Hornworm caterpillar is pale
green with a dark green head. A pale stripe runs
from the head to a purple horn, which tapers to
The caterpillars crawl to the ground to pupate, where they spin an orange point. The body is covered in tiny,
a weak silken cocoon in the leaf litter. The adult moths emerge white spots, giving a speckled appearance.
There are seven oblique, green lateral stripes,
and are on the wing from summer to late fall. The caterpillars and the spiracles are white and red.
are called Maile Pilau Hornworms after the common name of
one of their host plants, the Stinkvine or Maile Vine, the leaves
of which give o a strong odor when crushed, hence the plant’s

Latin name, foetida.

Actual size