Sphinx moths are strong fliers. Some fly only at night, others at twilight or 
during the day. They are usually seen hovering like hummingbirds over flowers and 
feeding on nectar while in flight. 
The elm sphinx, Ceratomia amyntor (Geyer), feeds on basswood, birch, and 
elm throughout the Eastern United States. Full-grown larvae are pale green to 
reddish brown; are marked on each side with seven oblique, whitish stripes; bear 
pairs of horns on the tops of the second and third thoracic segments; and have one 
caudal horn. They are about 75 mm long. C. undulosa (Walker), the waved sphinx, 
feeds on ash and lilac from eastern Canada and Maine to central Florida and 
westward to Texas and eastern Alberta. Full-grown larvae are about 62 mm long. 
The head is bluish green marked laterally by a broad, pale band. The pea-green 
body tapers toward the head and is marked by seven oblique, yellow stripes on each 
side; the spiracles are orange; and the caudal horn is reddish and curved toward the 
tip. 
The catalpa sphinx, C. catalpae (Boisduval), occurs from New York to Florida 
and westward to Michigan, Kansas, Iowa, and Texas, but appears to be most 
abundant in the Southeastern States. It feeds exclusively on catalpa trees, often 
completely defoliating them. The injury is of relatively minor significance to the 
tree (1157). The adult is heavy-bodied and has a wingspread of about 75 mm. The 
forewings and body are brownish with irregular dark and light bands and markings; 
the hindwings are almost uniformly brownish gray. Full-grown larvae are about 75 
mm long and armed with a stout, black horn near the posterior (fig. 88). There are 
two highly variable color forms of large larvae—dark and light (6//). The dark 
form is black on top and pale yellow underneath; the light form is pale yellow with 
markings and patches of black on top. 
Winter is spent as a pupa in the soil. Adults begin to appear as early as March in 
the South, but much later farther north. Eggs are deposited in large masses on the 
undersides of leaves or in smaller masses on twigs and branches. Young larvae feed 
A 
_ Zz Z j 
Courtesy OS 
& Dev. Cent., Dep. Entomol. 
Figure 88.—Larvae of the catalpa sphinx, Ceratomia 
catalpae. 
213 
