Page 472 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Sphingidae
DISTRIBUTION Temperate Europe, northwest Africa, west Asia, central Asia,
and western Mongolia
HABITAT Riverine shingle bars, wet river valleys, damp woodland edges,
apple orchards, coastal sandhills, and suburban gardens
HOST PLANTS Mainly poplar (Populus spp.), willow (Salix spp.), and apple
(Malus spp.); also some Prunus spp.
NOTE Caterpillar that parasitoids ravage, killing up to
80 percent annually
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common, especially in open areas with willows

ADULT WINGSPAN
2¾–3¾ in (70–95 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2¾–3½ in (70–90 mm)
SMERINTHUS OCELLATUS
EYED HAWKMOTH
470
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

In open sunny areas, cryptic Eyed Hawkmoth larvae feed quite
openly on the tips of new shoots. One large caterpillar can
strip several shoots bare; before the use of organic pesticides,
the larvae would sometimes devastate apple orchards. The
caterpillar is a “sit and hide” species, mimicking leaves when at
rest, and taking on the same hue as the leaves around it. Many
larvae avoid detection by birds by sitting upside down and using
superb body countershading, although most fall victim to the
Microplitis ocellatae parasitic wasp.

In warmer parts of Europe, there are two or three broods
annually, but larvae numbers can uctuate markedly from year

to year, and local populations may die out. If disturbed, the adult
The Eyed Hawkmoth caterpillar has several
color forms, mainly shades of green or gray. Eyed Hawkmoth, which in North Africa has a broader wingspan,
Young larvae are whitish green, with a pale pink
horn, pale body tubercles, and seven oblique up to 4¼ in (110 mm), exposes the large, glaring eyespots on its
lateral stripes. This color scheme remains the
same throughout the larval life, only becoming hind wings suggested by its name. It is one of several similar-
more contrasting with size, although the horn looking Smerinthus species found across temperate Europe, Asia,
turns blue. Larger larvae can develop rows of red
blotches around the spiracles and elsewhere. and North America.

Actual size