Ceratomia undulosa
seer-a-TOHM-ee-uhmm un-dew-LOH-suh
The Waved Sphinx
(Walker, 1856) Daremma undulosa

Photo courtesy of Lynn Scott.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, [1802] Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802 Genus: Ceratomia Harris, 1839 ........... Species: undulosa (Walker, 1856)

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DISTRIBUTION: The Waved Sphinx, Ceratomia undulosa [Wing span: 3 - 4 5/16 inches (7.6 - 11 cm)], is found in Canada from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia westward to eastern Alberta. In the U.S. it ranges from Maine to Florida westward to the eastern Great Plains and south to Florida, the Gulf Coast, and Texas. The upperside of the forewing is pale brownish gray with wavy black and white lines and a black-outlined white cell spot. The upperside of the hindwing is gray with diffuse darker bands. Some individuals are very dark, almost black, and others are light yellowish brown. Image of Ceratomia undulosa in typical resting pose courtesy of Terry Thormin.

FLIGHT TIMES: Here on P.E.I. and in the northern portions of its range the single brooded adults generally fly late June to early July. From New Jersey southward and westward there are often two or more broods with as many as six peak flight times in Louisiana beginning in early April, repeating at roughly 30 day intervals. Both sexes come in to lights and females readily oviposit in paper grocery bags. Ceratomia undulosa Edmonton, Alberta, summer 2004, courtesy of Evie Uretsky.

Ceratomia undulosa, Jasper County, South Carolina,
March 25, 2006, courtesy of Dr. Wasil Khan.

Ceratomia undulosa, (verso) Jasper County, South Carolina,
March 25, 2006, courtesy of Dr. Wasil Khan.

ECLOSION:

Little is known about the eclosions of the earth pupators, but many believe pupae wiggle toward the surface just prior to emergence.

SCENTING AND MATING

Females extend a scent gland from the posterior of the abdomen to lure in the night flying males.

Ceratomia undulosa female courtesy of Vernon A. Brou, Jr.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE: Eggs are pale green and of medium size with incubation lasting about eight days. Larvae prefer ash but do well on privet and lilac (which I use here). This third instar larva, courtesy of Tim Dyson, seems to have had trouble shedding its old head capsule.

There seems to be little change as the larvae move into the fourth instar.

In the fifth instar, the spiracular ovals are decidedly red and the anal horn is off-white to pinkish laterally. Tim Dyson image.

Larvae pupate readily in artificial conditions: Closed container with loose paper towelling in bottom, kept in the dark at 70-75 degrees F. Pupae are shiny, smooth, and chestnut coloured.

Ceratomia undulosa, Medford, Wisconsin, courtesy of Joan F. Rickert

Ceratomia undulosa, Medford, Wisconsin, courtesy of Joan F. Rickert

Fraxinus, Ligustrum, Quercus, Crataegus and Chionanthus virginicus are also listed as hosts.

Although tongue length is listed at 9.8 mm in W. E. Miller's "Diversity and Evolution of Tongue Length in Hawkmoths (Sphingidae)" in 1997 Number 1, Volume 51 issue of Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, my recollection is that the tongue length exceeds 30 mm as I recall feeding a female a sugar/water/honey solution summer of 1997 in New Jersey.

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

I do not know the origin of the genus choice Ceratomia, but the first species assigned to this genus is amyntor. Ceratomia may be a combination of cera (gold) and tomia (cutting). Speculation suggests the dark cuttings (streaks) into the golden brown area of the forewing or the golden checkered fringe of that moth.

The species name "undulosa" is for the wavy, undulating markings on the wings.

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