SPHINGIDAE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Eumorpha achemon

(Drury, 1773)

  • Home
  • Sphingidae Index
    • Macroglossinae >
      • Aellopos >
        • Aellopos fadus
        • Aellopos tantalus
        • Aellopos titan
      • Amphion >
        • Amphion floridensis
      • Cautethia >
        • Cautethia grotei
      • Darapsa >
        • Darapsa versicolor
        • Darapsa myron
        • Darapsa choerilus
      • Deidamia >
        • Deidamia inscriptum
      • Enyo >
        • Enyo lugubris
      • Erinnyis >
        • Erinnyis alope
        • Erinnyis obscura
        • Erinnyis ello
      • Eumorpha >
        • Eumorpha pandorus
        • Eumorpha achemon
        • Eumorpha fasciatus
        • Eumorpha satellitia
        • Eumorpha labruscae
        • Eumorpha intermedia
        • Eumorpha vitis
        • Eumorpha typhon
      • Hemaris >
        • Hemaris thysbe
        • Hemaris gracilis
        • Hemaris diffinis
      • Hyles >
        • Hyles gallii
        • Hyles euphorbiae
        • Hyles lineata
      • Pachylia >
        • Pachylia ficus
      • Proserpinus >
        • Proserpinus flavofasciata
        • Proserpinus gaurae
        • Proserpinus terlooii
      • Pseudosphinx >
        • Pseudosphinx tetrio
      • Sphecodina >
        • Sphecodina abbottii
      • Xylophanes >
        • Xylophanes falco
        • Xylophanes pluto
        • Xylophanes tersa
    • Smerinthinae >
      • Amorpha >
        • Amorpha juglandis
      • Pachysphinx >
        • Pachysphinx modesta
      • Paonias >
        • Paonias excaecata
        • Paonias myops
        • Paonias astylus
      • Protambulyx >
        • Protambulyx strigilis
      • Smerinthus >
        • Smerinthus jamaicensis
        • Smerinthus cerisyi
    • Sphinginae >
      • Agrius >
        • Agrius cingulata
      • Ceratomia >
        • Ceratomia amyntor
        • Ceratomia hageni
        • Ceratomia undulosa
        • Ceratomia catalpae
      • Cocytius >
        • Cocytius antaeus
      • Dolba >
        • Dolba hyloeus
      • Isoparce >
        • Isoparce cupressi
      • Lapara >
        • Lapara coniferarum
        • Lapara bombycoides
      • Lintneria >
        • Lintneria eremitus
        • Lintneria istar
      • Manduca >
        • Manduca sexta
        • Manduca quinquemaculatus
        • Manduca occulta
        • Manduca rustica
        • Manduca jasminearum
      • Paratrea >
        • Paratrea plebeja
      • Sphinx >
        • Sphinx chersis
        • Sphinx franckii
        • Sphinx canadensis
        • Sphinx kalmiae
        • Sphinx gordius
        • Sphinx poecila
        • Sphinx luscitiosa
        • Sphinx drupiferarum
  • Hostplant Index
  • Parasitoids and Predators
  • Range
  • General Information
  • Sources and Acknowledgements
  • Other Resources
Common Name(s): Achemon Sphinx

Ecology:
Like many Vitaceae feeding moths, this is not a moth found in dense woodland. Many caterpillars of this species have been found by searching Grape and Virginia Creeper vines growing over fences in suburban neighborhoods. Adults have also been encountered laying eggs on sprawling grape vines on dunes. Much like others in this genus, adult moths can be observed taking nectar from flowers at dusk.


Adult description:
This is the smallest moth in the genus in North America (42-49mm1). The base color of the body and forewings is brown with a black basal rectangular area. Large dark brown triangles on the sides of the thorax. The hindwings of this species are a salmony pink.


Larval description:
L1: First instar larvae are small green hornworms with an extraordinarily long red horn and somewhat oversized head.

L3: At this stage, the larvae look quite different. The long straight horn now curves and looks strikingly similar to a Parthenocissus quinquefolia tendril. The larvae are green or red in color, with a white horizontal line down the length of their body. A series of diagonal lines bisect the spiracles on each abdominal segment.

L4: The larva now loses the horn entirely, replacing it with a small hard eyespot like mark. The area can sometimes appear raised. The larva can rear its body up, and contract it’s thoracic segments back into the swollen A1 segment to give it a more menacing appearance. The larvae are red or green in color. There are several eyespots connected together that can sometimes resembles lines bisecting the spiracles on each abdominal segment.

L5: Superficially resembling the larvae of E. pandorus, the easiest way to distinguish larvae is by looking at the eyespots on each of the abdominal segments. If the eye spot is large and distinctive, you have E. pandorus. If the eye spots are more like a streak, or resembling three smaller circles placed together, you have E. achemon. The larvae of this species don’t have quite as many color morphs, usually only a green, a dark red, and light red forms.

Host plants:
Click here to load this Caspio Cloud Database
Create a Free Online Database
Picture
(C) Roberta Blair
Picture
L5 (C) Teá Kesting-Handly
Picture
The gallery to the left contains photos of Eumorpha achemon adults. If you have a photo that you would like to submit to us, please contact us.

The gallery to the right contains photos of Eumorpha achemon larval and pupal stages. If you have a photo that you would like to submit to us, please contact us.
(C) Roberta Blair
(C) Eric Eaton
(C) Eric Eaton
(C) Eric Eaton
L5 (C) William J. Lucas, Jr.
L5 (C) William J. Lucas, Jr.
L5 (C) Eric Eaton
L5 - (C) Bob Barber
L5 - (C) Bob Barber
L5 - (C) Teá Kesting-Handly
L3 - (C) Teá Kesting-Handly
L5 - (C) Teá Kesting-Handly

Home

About

Contact

Like us on Facebook!

×

Macroglossinae

Cautethia grotei
Darapsa choerilus
Darapsa myron
Darapsa versicolor
Deidemia inscriptum
Enyo lugubris
Erinnyis alope
Erinnyis ello
Erinnyis obscura
Eumorpha achemon
Eumorpha fasciatus
Eumorpha intermedia
Eumorpha labruscae
Eumorpha pandorus
Eumorpha satellitia
Eumorpha vitis
Eumorpha typhon​
Hemaris diffinis
Hemaris gracilis
Hemaris thysbe
Hyles euphorbiae
Hyles gallii
Hyles lineata
Pachylia ficus
Proserpinus flavofasciata
Proserpinus gaurae
Pseudosphinx tetrio
Sphecodina abbottii
Xylophanes falco
Xylophanes pluto
Xylophanes tersa

Smerinthinae

Protambulyx strigilis
Amorpha juglandis
Pachysphinx modesta
Paonias astylus
Paonias excaecata
Paonias myops
Smerinthus cerisyi
Smerinthus jamaicensis

Sphinginae

Agrius cingulata
Ceratomia amyntor
Ceratomia catalpae
Ceratomia hageni
Ceratomia undulosa
Cocytius antaeus
Dolba hyloeus
Isoparce cupressi
Lapara bombycoides
Lapara coniferarum
Lintneria istar
Lintneria eremitus
Manduca jasminearum
Manduca occulta
Manduca quinquemaculatus
Manduca rustica
Manduca sexta
Paratrea plebeja
Sphinx canadensis
Sphinx chersis
Sphinx drupiferarum
Sphinx frankii
Sphinx gordius
Sphinx kalmiae
Sphinx luscitiosa
Sphinx poecila 
Copyright © 2018
  • Home
  • Sphingidae Index
    • Macroglossinae >
      • Aellopos >
        • Aellopos fadus
        • Aellopos tantalus
        • Aellopos titan
      • Amphion >
        • Amphion floridensis
      • Cautethia >
        • Cautethia grotei
      • Darapsa >
        • Darapsa versicolor
        • Darapsa myron
        • Darapsa choerilus
      • Deidamia >
        • Deidamia inscriptum
      • Enyo >
        • Enyo lugubris
      • Erinnyis >
        • Erinnyis alope
        • Erinnyis obscura
        • Erinnyis ello
      • Eumorpha >
        • Eumorpha pandorus
        • Eumorpha achemon
        • Eumorpha fasciatus
        • Eumorpha satellitia
        • Eumorpha labruscae
        • Eumorpha intermedia
        • Eumorpha vitis
        • Eumorpha typhon
      • Hemaris >
        • Hemaris thysbe
        • Hemaris gracilis
        • Hemaris diffinis
      • Hyles >
        • Hyles gallii
        • Hyles euphorbiae
        • Hyles lineata
      • Pachylia >
        • Pachylia ficus
      • Proserpinus >
        • Proserpinus flavofasciata
        • Proserpinus gaurae
        • Proserpinus terlooii
      • Pseudosphinx >
        • Pseudosphinx tetrio
      • Sphecodina >
        • Sphecodina abbottii
      • Xylophanes >
        • Xylophanes falco
        • Xylophanes pluto
        • Xylophanes tersa
    • Smerinthinae >
      • Amorpha >
        • Amorpha juglandis
      • Pachysphinx >
        • Pachysphinx modesta
      • Paonias >
        • Paonias excaecata
        • Paonias myops
        • Paonias astylus
      • Protambulyx >
        • Protambulyx strigilis
      • Smerinthus >
        • Smerinthus jamaicensis
        • Smerinthus cerisyi
    • Sphinginae >
      • Agrius >
        • Agrius cingulata
      • Ceratomia >
        • Ceratomia amyntor
        • Ceratomia hageni
        • Ceratomia undulosa
        • Ceratomia catalpae
      • Cocytius >
        • Cocytius antaeus
      • Dolba >
        • Dolba hyloeus
      • Isoparce >
        • Isoparce cupressi
      • Lapara >
        • Lapara coniferarum
        • Lapara bombycoides
      • Lintneria >
        • Lintneria eremitus
        • Lintneria istar
      • Manduca >
        • Manduca sexta
        • Manduca quinquemaculatus
        • Manduca occulta
        • Manduca rustica
        • Manduca jasminearum
      • Paratrea >
        • Paratrea plebeja
      • Sphinx >
        • Sphinx chersis
        • Sphinx franckii
        • Sphinx canadensis
        • Sphinx kalmiae
        • Sphinx gordius
        • Sphinx poecila
        • Sphinx luscitiosa
        • Sphinx drupiferarum
  • Hostplant Index
  • Parasitoids and Predators
  • Range
  • General Information
  • Sources and Acknowledgements
  • Other Resources