
This site has been created by
Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Sphingoidea, Dyar, 1902 |
"What.A.Wonderful.World" |
The Amorpha juglandis moth (wingspan 45-75 mm; males smaller than females) flies from Maine south to Florida, west to North Dakota and west Texas, and south to Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
The populations of Amorpha juglandis in western Ontario are the reportedly birch-feeding subspecies manitobae according to Riotte.
Thi s species is also know as the Walnut sphinx, (Laothoe juglandis). Typical of species within the Smerinthini tribe, these moths do not feed as adults.
The adults are also highly variable; sometimes wings of an individual may be all one color or may have several colors, ranging from pale to dark brown, and may have a white or pink tinge. Patterns range from faint to pronounced.

Amorpha juglandis, Arlington (Tarrant County), Texas,
April 19, 2006, courtesy of Dale Smith.
FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:Amorpha juglandis adults fly from May-August in the northern part of their range, and as at least four broods in Louisiana from March-October.Amorpha juglandis larvae feed upon Walnut and butternut (Juglans), hickory (Carya), alder (Alnus), beech (Fagus), hazelnut (Corylus), and hop-hornbeam (Ostrya). Amorpha juglandis male, May 17-18, 2006, Peterborough, Ontario, courtesy of Tim Dyson. View additional Amorpha juglandis by Tim. |
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Cressonia juglandis female courtesy by Drees.
This is one of the first Sphingidae I reared as a boy.I fed them on hop-hornbeam in a sleeve by our backyard pond/river in New Jersey. I wasn't ready for them when they reached maturity and didn't know they would pupate in a bucket under loose paper towelling. |
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Seana Saxon sends these nice images from Dallas, Texas, August 3, 2006. The pointed head (outlined in yellow), grainy skin and dominant last abdominal stripe are diagnostic.


Alnus |
Alder |
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