Catalpa sphinx
Ceratomia catalpae (Boisduval, 1875)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Forewing is yellowish brown with no white markings and indistinct black lines and dashes. Cell spot is gray with a black outline. Hindwing is yellowish brown with obscure lines.
Wing Span: 2 9/16 - 3 3/4 inches (6.5 - 9.5 cm).
Life History: Adult moths fly at night. Females lay large clusters of eggs on the underside of host leaves or smaller clusters on twigs and branches. Young caterpillars feed together in groups; older ones feed singly. Fully-grown caterpillars crawl down the tree trunk to pupate and overwinter in chambers dug 2-3 inches into the soil. Caterpillars are often parasitized by a wasp, Apanteles congregatus, which lays its eggs inside the caterpillar. The caterpillar eventually dies as the wasp larvae feed inside it.
Flight: . Two flights from May-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Catalpa species in the Bignoniaceae family.
Adult Food: Adults probably do not feed.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands and suburban plantings.
Range: Eastern states from Maine west to Iowa; south to Florida, the Gulf States, and Texas. Also Colorado and Nebraska. Comment: Caterpillars are used as fish bait in the Southeast.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: During outbreaks, caterpillars can defoliate catalpa trees.
Comments: NULL
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 509 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/catalpa_sphinx_02.jpg?itok=zjmg2MT5)
Observation date: Jun 24, 2013
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Franklin County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 23, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/catalpa_sphynx_aka_ceratomia_catalpae_september_19_2020_2.jpg?itok=XqrtDemm)
Observation date: Sep 19, 2020
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 12, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/35424177336_0db34f97db_z.jpg?itok=WjoxyVMk)
Observation date: Jun 19, 2017
Submitted by: Stylurus
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 11, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/bamona_moth_ceratomia_catalpae_skyline_drive_20220202_114811_4.jpg?itok=VX4AA8To)
Observation date: May 26, 1987
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Feb 03, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/moth_ceratomia_undulosa_steeplechase_img_8945_2.jpg?itok=ohDQjNs5)
Observation date: Aug 10, 2021
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Fentress County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Dec 22, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_5997awp.jpg?itok=Eb7VUjBe)
Observation date: Aug 29, 2021
Submitted by: klebo
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_4526_4.jpg?itok=xEaxSzku)
Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: Ron Gelardi
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 27, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/45508968-9bbc-483a-88cb-e1aaca7bc28d.jpeg?itok=EPRKuXqK)
Observation date: Oct 05, 2021
Submitted by: Darrin Frye
Region: Frederick County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 07, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/e758a63d-ad05-408f-ad6d-458fbc82ac52.jpeg?itok=qxZAA9qQ)
Observation date: Sep 27, 2021
Submitted by: lillianmynatte
Region: Sampson County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/e758a63d-ad05-408f-ad6d-458fbc82ac52_0.jpeg?itok=KLUORDFz)
Observation date: Sep 27, 2021
Submitted by: lillianmynatte
Region: Sampson County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Oct 04, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_8020_3.jpg?itok=6VqEKqXy)
Observation date: Sep 21, 2021
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 26, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20210831_055247.jpg?itok=s0IeVl8Y)
Observation date: Sep 08, 2021
Submitted by: Gabby
Region: Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 12, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/moth_sept_3_2021_7_06_a.m.jpg?itok=TRtUBbfb)
Observation date: Sep 03, 2021
Submitted by: SusanPotomac
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 06, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/catalpasphinx.png?itok=B-lezgFX)
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 15, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20210812_121200321.jpg?itok=Dz2QQO_B)
Observation date: Aug 12, 2021
Submitted by: tmlehman
Region: Adams County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/e4f5e89c-68b1-41c4-b7c2-3e73b0bdd436.jpeg?itok=wFsOafYU)
Observation date: Aug 07, 2021
Submitted by: AbVans
Region: Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 07, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20210713_134720.jpg?itok=y4_lnebl)
Observation date: Jul 13, 2021
Submitted by: joel2132
Region: Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 25, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/ef613476-35ab-440d-b71c-cd601245b266.jpeg?itok=xJD0aZwJ)
Observation date: Jun 07, 2021
Submitted by: agdsquash
Region: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 05, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/5b3d130e-5fef-4edf-99cf-efb1eedc6ee5.jpeg?itok=3veIX8QK)
Observation date: Jun 26, 2021
Submitted by: dmccord
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 05, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_20200715_234816.jpg?itok=cNRiBmXZ)
Observation date: Jul 16, 2020
Submitted by: Rr1982
Region: Monroe County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/catalpa_sphinx_moth_20200712.jpg?itok=VZCITsUf)
Observation date: Jul 12, 2020
Submitted by: CincyJeff
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Jan 12, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/catalpa_sphinx_caterpillar_20200626.jpg?itok=34YF1MEa)
Observation date: Jun 26, 2020
Submitted by: CincyJeff
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Jan 10, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0771_2.jpg?itok=UGzIii6a)
Observation date: Aug 30, 2016
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Cass County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 02, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/911aa313-7397-416e-b163-4dab0db13093.jpeg?itok=lP42DeJq)
Observation date: Oct 04, 2020
Submitted by: TioCeBoji
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 2 of 22
- next ›