The Sphingidae of Nova Scotia

Sphinx poecila by Bill Oehlke.

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This website is designed and maintained by Bill Oehlke. Please send sightings (date, location, species) and/or images to Bill.

Robert Jindra provides the following sightings in Cape Breton Island (The Points West Bay), summer of 2005:

1) C. undolusa: Many males (around 15) between July 15 and August 5., 1 female July 10th
2) S. poecila: Many (males and females) on honeysuckle between July 15 and August 05
3) P. modesta: 3 males (25 – 28 July)
4) S. kalmiae: Many! (hundreds of males, females) on our Honeysuckle between July 15 and August 09
5) A. Luna (2 males), July 15, 21
6) A. polyphemus (4 males) between July 15 and July 29
7) S. chersis, 1 male (July 22)
8) P. myops, 1 male (July 24) 9) D. choerilus (pholus), 3 males, July 25, 28, August 01
10) S. cerisyi, 7 males, July 15-29
11) Canadian Tiger swallowtail, 1 female July 14

Robert also writes, "In Germany I place the “earth”-caterpillars which are ready to pupate into big plastic containers with approximately 30cm deep soil. I use soil with a very soft riddled (without crumbles) mixture of 50% sand and 50% clay. The soil should be humid but not wet. The caterpillars dig into the soil down to approximately 20 cm below surface and then they make an egg-shaped hollow. Some species cover the hollow with some silk-strings too. Because of the perfect moisture into the hollow, the caterpillars will turn into a perfect pupae with an extremely smooth skin.

"After the caterpillar has turned into a pupa, it will stay in the hollow until eclosion. The pupa definitely does not wiggle to the surface! The full developed moths of the earth pupators are always hatching out in their hollows. Just after they have eclosed, they dig to the surface, probably with using the old tube of the caterpillar. "

I asked Jim Tuttle for his eclosion experience with earth pupators and he writes (August 28, 2005), "As for the pupal emergence, it has been my experience with Manduca sexta and Citheronia regalis that the pupa works its way to the surface (head up), stops just as the head breaks the surface of the ground, and then the adult breaks out of the pupal shell.

"I can only assume that the pupa is using the same path that was previously dug by the larva. I dug emergence pits in my yard, let larva burrow in, let the pupae naturely overwinter, and then monitored the subsequent emergences.

"I cannot speak to any other species... I do know that I decided to take this observation approach because I felt that any observations in artificial containers might taint the results or my perception of the process.

"Is it possible that the adults of some species eclose in the subterranean chambers and then make their way to the surface - I guess so..."

Pachysphinx modesta female, Windsor, Nova Scotia, July 28, 2007,
courtesy of Joanne and Corrine Martell.

Agrius cingulata, October 3, 2007, Lunenburg County, N.S., courtesy of Steve Hatt.

In Malay Falls/Sheet Harbour area of Halifax County, I (Bill Oehlke) have personally seen Ceratomia undulosa, Lapara bombycoides, Sphinx kalmiae, Sphinx drupiferarum, Sphinx poecila, Pachysphinx modesta, Paonias excaecata, Smerinthus cerisyi, Smerinthus jamaicensis, Hemaris thysbe and Darapsa choerilus (pholus). I suspect the other Nova Scotia species are there as well.

Steve Hatt from Lunenburg county writes, "The large moths that I know I have seen are...luna moth, cecropia moth, polyphemus moth (very common), twin spotted sphinx, cerisyi's sphinx, poplar sphinx, blinded sphinx, laurel sphinx, wild cherry sphinx, poecila sphinx, elm sphinx, and northern pine sphinx. And then recently a pink spotted hawkmoth. To my knowledge I haven't seen Hyalophora columbia.

"However, when I was young I had the impression we didn't have them in NS. So I may have seen one and just assumed it was an odd looking cecropia moth."

Darapsa choerilus, June 14, 2008, Gold River, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, courtesy of Steve Hatt.

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Please send sightings/images to Bill. I will do my best to respond to requests for identification help.

Enjoy some of nature's wonderments: Giant Silk Moth cocoons. Native Saturniidae cocoons are available in the fall and winter. Big beautiful moths will emerge the following spring/summer.