Page 477 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Sphingidae
DISTRIBUTION Across Canada, from southern British Columbia to
Newfoundland, and northeastern United States
HABITAT Boggy areas, coastal barrens, and deciduous forests
HOST PLANTS Apple (Malus spp.), blueberries and huckleberries (Vaccinium
spp.), alder (Alnus spp.), Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina), American
Larch (Larex laricina), and White Spruce (Picea glauca)
NOTE Canada’s commonest hawkmoth caterpillar
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but usually common

ADULT WINGSPAN
2 ⁄ –3¾ in (68–95 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2¾–3⅛ in (70–80 mm)
SPHINX POECILA
NORTHERN APPLE SPHINX 475

STEPHENS, 1828

Northern Apple Sphinx caterpillars hatch from green eggs that
are laid singly by the female hawkmoth on host plant leaves;
the eggs hatch within a week of laying. The caterpillars,
which are most common between April and September, live
and feed solitarily, usually during daylight hours, concealing
themselves beneath the leaves. Final instar caterpillars occur
in three color forms: green, wine red, and an intermediate
form that is a mottled combination of the wine color and green.
Pupation occurs in a shallow, subterranean chamber, and
the pupa overwinters. There is one brood of this species The Northern Apple Sphinx caterpillar is pale
annually, with adults, often found at lights, flying mostly at to bright green, with seven oblique, white stripes
laterally. The stripes are bordered in black or
night from late May to August. dark brown. The spiracles are rust colored,
and the head is dark green with a pair of light
green stripes. The tail horn is green laterally
Sphinx poecila is very closely related to the Apple Sphinx and dark dorsally.
(S. gordius), and both were formerly considered a single species.
It is very likely that hybridization occurs in overlapping parts
of their respective ranges. The Northern Apple Sphinx is
considered to be the commonest hawkmoth in Canada.

Actual size