Friday, May 16, 2008

Azalea Sphinx Moth (Darapsa choerilus)

(Photo taken 5/8/08)

Azalea Sphinx Moth (Darapsa choerilus) Hodges #7886

Range: Eastern United States, west to North Dakota and Texas, plus across southern Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

Season: Adults fly from June to August in the north (one brood); March to September in the south (two or more broods). In Louisiana there are as many as eight broods, beginning in March, with emergence peaks at 30-day intervals.

Food: Larvae feed on leaves of azalea (Rhododendron spp.), blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), sour-gum, and Viburnum species. Adults take nectar.

Life Cycle: One to several generations per year, depending on latitude. Larvae pupate in leaf litter at base of hostplant, binding several leaves together with a few strands of silk to form a loose flimsy cocoon.

Thanks to Eric Eaton at BugGuide for the ID.

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Everything you ever wanted to know about Azalea Sphinx Moths (from breeding procedures to photos of pupae and larval stages) can be found on Mr. Bill Oehlke's webpage.


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2 comments:

  1. Tom Arbour6:34 PM, May 16, 2008

    Very nice creature Marvin, I'll have to keep my eye out for these guys.

    Tom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom7:50 AM, May 17, 2008

    The marking are really good on this.. I should think spotting then at times is so hard. I am taking much more notice of moths now.. funny how seeing one or two pictures for others can get you interested in something you have not bothered with before.

    ReplyDelete

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