Five-spotted hawkmoth
Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Abdomen usually has 5 but sometimes 6 pairs of yellow bands. Forewing is blurry brown and gray. Hindwing is banded with brown and white and has 2 well-separated median zigzag bands. Forewing fringes are grayish, not distinctly spotted with white.
Wing Span: 3 9/16 - 5 5/16 inches (9 - 13.5 cm).
Life History: Adults fly at dusk, and females deposit eggs singly on the upper surface of host plant leaves. The caterpillars are called Tomato Hornworms and each has a black horn at the end of the abdomen. Caterpillars have huge appetites for leaves and fruits and can defoliate plants quickly. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in soil burrows.
Flight: . Several broods from February-October in Florida and from April-October in Louisiana, at least two broods from May-October in the rest of the range.
Caterpillar Hosts: Potato, tobacco, tomato, and other plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), petunia (Petunia hybrida), bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis), tobacco (Nicotiana), and phlox (Phlox).
Habitat: Tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and wherever host plants are found.
Range: Mexico north throughout most of the United States and occasionally southern Canada, but it is uncommon in the Southeast and the Great Plains.
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: Caterpillars are pests on tomato and other plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 682 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 18, 2014
Submitted by: chherrmann
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 16, 2021
Observation date: May 29, 2007
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Cape May County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 31, 2021
Observation date: Jul 19, 2012
Submitted by: JC Clayton
Region: Deschutes County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 27, 2021
Observation date: Oct 20, 2016
Submitted by: JupitersHerald
Region: Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 09, 2021
Observation date: Jul 31, 2020
Submitted by: erinlale
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: Aug 18, 2016
Submitted by: Donna Millar
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 12, 2021
Observation date: Jul 20, 2017
Submitted by: Exo514
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 16, 2020
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: byuknat
Region: New London County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 16, 2020
Observation date: Jun 17, 2018
Submitted by: Jessicabarone2012
Region: Knox County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Sep 07, 2018
Submitted by: OliveLee
Region: Washington County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 30, 2019
Submitted by: Sheryl Wallerich
Region: Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 13, 2006
Submitted by: bmelizalde
Region: Texas, Real County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 10, 2020
Observation date: Sep 18, 2020
Submitted by: marycurry
Region: Texas, Montague County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 23, 2020
Observation date: Sep 14, 2020
Submitted by: mrmikebong
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Sep 15, 2020
Observation date: Aug 30, 2020
Submitted by: Mmf53
Region: Barron County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Aug 31, 2020
Observation date: Aug 11, 2020
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: Tssmith24
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Aug 07, 2020
Observation date: Apr 28, 2020
Submitted by: cphillips1773
Region: Guadalupe County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 29, 2020
Observation date: Mar 24, 2020
Submitted by: whbauer
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 27, 2020
Observation date: Sep 21, 2019
Submitted by: JayBee100
Region: Albemarle County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 06, 2019
Observation date: Nov 06, 2018
Submitted by: Karl2004
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: kellyrichers
Verified date: Oct 08, 2019
Observation date: Sep 24, 2019
Submitted by: lookit
Region: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 24, 2019
Observation date: Sep 11, 2019
Submitted by: David Jones
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 15, 2019
Observation date: Aug 02, 2019
Submitted by: Tomcat521
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2019
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