Page 471 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Sphingidae
DISTRIBUTION From western Russia to Russian Far East, Mongolia, northeast
China, South Korea, and northern Japan
HABITAT Grassy, mixed, boreal forests, clearings, swamps, and streams
HOST PLANTS Poplar (Populus spp.) and willow (Salix spp.)
NOTE Caterpillar that fools predators by adopting a sphinxlike pose
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
2–2¾ in (50–70 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
SMERINTHUS CAECUS 2⅜–2¾ in (60–70 mm)
NORTHERN EYED
HAWKMOTH 469

MÉNÉTRIÉS, 1857

Female Northern Eyed Hawkmoths lay shiny, green eggs singly
or in small groups of up to 12 on the underside of host plant
leaves. Within seven to eight days, the caterpillars hatch and
begin feeding, usually on willow species. They develop between
July and September before overwintering as brown-black pupae
in earthen cells below the ground. The hawkmoth adults are on
the wing in May and June in a single brood, although a second
generation may occur in southern parts of the species’ range.

The caterpillar’s defense is based on camou age and its adoption
of a sphinxlike posture when resting, which breaks up the
caterpillar outline, fooling birds foraging for a conventionally
worm-shaped caterpillar. However, parasitic ies and wasps
likely kill a great many Northern Eyed Hawkmoth caterpillars.
The species is closely related to the more widespread Eyed
Hawkmoth (Smerinthus ocellatus), and both larvae and adults
are very similar in appearance.

Actual size
The Northern Eyed Hawkmoth caterpillar is
bluish white or yellowish green. Whitish, oblique
stripes occur laterally, with the one leading to
the tail horn most prominent. The head is green,
triangular, and lined on each side with a white
stripe. The spiracles and true legs are pinkish,
while the prolegs are green.