Hawaiian Sphinx: rare Blackburn’s Sphinx or not?????

danielj

January 9th, 2007 at 1:00 am

Categories

Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths

Expert Bill Oehlke says not and identifies it as Pink Spotted Hawkmoth

Blackburn’s Sphinx Larvae & Moth ?
9 January 2007 -Waikoloa, Hawaii
Aloha Bug man,
This past Saturday I was out in the middle of the Big Island’s famous Parker Ranch experimenting with my new digital Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50. I photographed a green and white larvae I do not remember seeing before. If was on an old wooden fence post. Help from friends on the Mainland it was determined that what I had photographed was a Blackburn’s Sphinx Larvae.

blackburns sphinx cat Hawaiian Sphinx: rare Blackburns Sphinx or not????? blackburns sphinx Hawaiian Sphinx: rare Blackburns Sphinx or not?????

Sunday evening my wife came to get me to show me the moth that was above the sink in the kitchen. It fit the description of the the Blackburn’s Sphinx larvae!! On your Website you have identified what seems to be an identical moth as the Pink Spotted Hawk Moth. Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth (Mandica blackburnsi).
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plans/2005/050928.pdf
Compare to my composite the Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth below. Hoping to hear from you.
Michael

blackburns sphinx 1 Hawaiian Sphinx: rare Blackburns Sphinx or not????? blackburns sphinx 3 Hawaiian Sphinx: rare Blackburns Sphinx or not?????

Hi Michael,
We are not saying you are right or wrong, but simply want to mention some possible holes in the logic that lead to your identification. Blackburn’s Sphinx is very endangered. Sphinx larvae are very difficult to positively identify. According to your letter, the larva and adult were found in different locations. Many other sphinx moths resemble the Blackburn’s Sphinx, most notably the quite common Tomato Hornworm which has probably been introduced to Hawaii on cultivated tomato plants. Are your friends on the mainland specialists in Sphinx identification? We do not feel confident enough to give you a conclusive answer and think you need a true expert. We strongly recommend contacting Bill Oehlke at his website:
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/mblackbu.htm
Please let us know what he thinks. We will also be contacting him, but as an intermediary, we feel you might be able to provide much more valuable information for him.

Dear Bill Oehlke,
This is Daniel Marlos from What’s That Bug? I often use your site to identify adult Sphinx Moths and Caterpillars. I just received the following letter with photos, and do not feel qualified to give a conclusive answer. Can you assist? Thanks Daniel

Daniel,
I am confident the moth is Agrius cingulata, the pink-spotted hawkmoth. I think the larva is most likely Psilogramma menephron based on raised projections in two lines on dorsal thorax. I am fairly confident it is not Manduca blackburni, nor any other Manduca. A lateral view would be most helpful. Both the pink-spotted and blackburni larvae have a lateral stripe below the spiracles. The image does not provide a view of that portion of the larva. I also believe the spiracular marking in blackburni larvae are considerably larger and dark, not the relatively small ovals with red centers in the image supplied by Michael. I think blackburni is also only known from Maui and efforts to restore it would likely be only on that island. I will ask Jim Tuttle to have a look at the larva.
Bill Oehlke

Aloha Daniel & Bill.
Thank you for you input. Please refer to my Attachment of larvae and moth at the bottom of this email. You say that my moth is Agrius cingulatus or Pink Spotted Hawk Moth not Manduca blackburni or Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth. I will buy that, you are the experts!! What about the larvae? I took the shots of the larvae out on Mana Road the same day as I took the three moth shots in our kitchen’s green house window above the kitchen sink. Are the spots on the Manduca blackburni indeed orange where the spots on Agrius cingulatus are pink or is there a color rendition problem in the photos. Oh, I might add that we live in Waikoloa ten miles or less as the crow (moth!) flies from the North Kona the Blackburn’s Sphinx Moth population center near Pu`uwaawaa. Thank you,
Michael

Aloha Michael,
Your larva looks like Psilogramma menephron, though we are not experts in this group, and are unfamiliar with this moth. Your adult moth is not Manduca blackburnii, which has an orange ass, and is likely Agrius as mentioned below. We suggest the following book “Hawaii’s Butterflies and Moths”.
Forest & Kim