CERATOMIA UNDULOSA

Photo courtesy of Lynn Scott

DISTRIBUTION:

The "Waved Sphinx" 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.

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 ovaposit in paper grocery bags.

ECLOSION:

SCENTING AND MATING

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

OVA, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Ova 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). 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.

Photo courtesy of David L. Wagner.

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.




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Bill Oehlke oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Box 476, Peardon Road
Montague, Prince Edward Island
Canada C0A 1R0.

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