Paonias astylus
(Drury, 1773) Sphinx astylus

Paonias astylus © Patrick Coin, used with permission,
Durham County, North Carolina, July 21, 2004

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TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, 1802 Tribe: Smerinthini, Grote & Robinson, 1865 Genus: Paonias Hubner, [1819] was Sphinx........ Species: astylus (Drury, 1773)

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DISTRIBUTION:

Paonias astylus, the Huckleberry Sphinx (wingspan 55-65 mm), ranges from Maine south to Florida, west to Missouri and Mississippi.

Typical of species in the tribe Smerinthini, adult astylus do not feed.

Paonias astylus © Patrick Coin, used with permission,
Durham County, North Carolina, July 21, 2004

FLIGHT TIMES:

Paonias astylus flies from March-September in Florida and from April-September in Louisiana. There is one brood northward from June-August.

ECLOSION:

Paonias astylus moths emerge from pupae formed in small subterranean chambers.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Huckleberry Sphinx females call in the night flying males with an airbourne pheromone emitted from a gland at the posterior of the abdomen.

Both sexes rest with wings parallel to the resting surface, with the upper lobes of the hindwings protruding above the forewings. The lower abdomen of the male arcs upward toward the head, while the abdomen of the female hangs strait down on a vertical surface.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Pale green eggs are deposited on hostplants foliage and this sphinx will oviposit readily on the insides of brown paper sandwich or grocery bags.

Blueberry and huckleberry (Vaccinium), cherries (Prunus) and willows (Salix) are the favorites as larval foodplants.

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