374 MISC. PUBLICATION 657, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
ing the larvae are gregarious, later separating. Pupation takes place 
in the soil, and the winter is passed in the pupal stage. 
The larva of Sphinw chersis (Hbn.) has a bluish head marked by a 
pale band on each side. The eae is generally light green with seven 
oblique, light yellowish stripes edged above with bluish green, the 
last stripe extending to the base of the caudal horn. The caudal horn 
is pale blue and rather erect in the early instars but curved downward 
when the larva is nearly full-grown. The anal plate is triangular, 
the spiracles are bordered with white, and the thoracic legs are rose 
colored. The full-grown larva is about 3 inches long (fig. 71, F.) 
This species occurs ‘from Canada to Florida and west to the Pacific. 
Its food plants are ash and lilac. It is often common locally on ash 
saplings and sprout growth, sometimes defoliating the terminal shoots. 
In the Middle States there are two generations annually, and the 
moths are active in May and August. Farther north there is only 
one generation, the moths emerge in June and July, the larvae are 
active from J uly to late in September, and the winter is passed in 
the pupal stage in the ground. 
The larva of Sphing kalmiae A. & S. is yellowish green, the head 
has a black band, and the body is marked by seven oblique, black 
stripes edged below with yellow. The spiracles are orange, the caudal 
horn is arcuate and blue with black raised markings. The anal plate 
is dotted with elevated black points, and the thoracic and abdominal 
legs are black, each with a yellowish- -green band. The full-grown 
larva is about 3 inches in length (fig. 71 G.). This species ranges s from 
southern Canada through the Atlantic States to Georgia. The larvae 
feed on ash, fringetree, mountain-laurel, lilac, and rhododendron. Its 
life history is similar to that of Ceratomia undulosa. 
The full-gr own larva of Sphine gordius Cram. is nearly 3 inches in 
length, the head is green with a yellowish or brownish stripe on each 
side in front, the body is bright apple green with numerous small 
yellowish or whitish dots some of which are encircled with black. 
Along each side of the body are seven oblique carmine stripes, the lower 
side of each edged with white. The caudal horn is black on the sides 
and at the tip and green at the middle above and beneath. The 
spiracles are orange, the thoracic legs pink, greenish at base, and the 
abdominal and anal legs are green. This species is distributed 
throughout the Atlantic States and west to the Mississippi Valley. 
The larvae feed on apple, bayberry, cranberry, wi! rose, and sweet- 
fern. The moths emerge in June and July, the lar vae are found from 
August to October, and the winter is passed as pupae in the ground. 
The full-grown lar va of Sphing luscitiosa Clem. is very similar to 
that of S. gordius and may be confused with it. It ranges through the 
Atlantic States, and the larvae feed on poplar and willow. The life 
history is similar to that of S. gordius. 
The larva of Sphinx drupiferarum A. & 8. is yellowish green 
with each side of the head marked with a reddish stripe edged in front 
with yellow. The sides of the body have seven oblique mauve stripes 
edged posteriorly with white. The spiracles are yellowish, the caudal 
horn is long and arcuate, black above and yellowish beneath, and the 
thoracic legs and abdominal feet are reddish to blackish. The full- 
grown larva is about 3 inches in length. This species is apparently 
widely distributed in the United States and the southern part of Can- 
