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Tobacco Hornworm and update with Brachonid Parasites

Tomato Hornworm
Location: Dayton, OH
August 12, 2010 7:58 pm
My kids found this guy on one of our tomato plants. It ate a huge hole in our biggest tomato. I had to pluck him off and relocate him to a tree at the other side of my yard. Beautiful creature, but I’m sad it ate my biggest tomato!
Jessica

Tobacco Hornworm

Hi Jessica,
This may not matter much to you, but your caterpillar is not a Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, but rather the closely related Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta. The Caterpillars and adult Hawkmoths of both species look very similar and have similar diets, and both caterpillars will feed on the leaves, and occasionally fruit, of tomatoes. According to BugGuide the Tobacco Hornworm can be identified by its: “large green body; dorsal ‘horn’ (usually curved and orange, pink or red) on terminal abdominal segment; up to seven oblique whitish lateral lines, edged with black on upper borders. The similar looking Tomato Hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata, has eight v-shaped stripes and a straight blue-black horn. These caterpillars are often confused and misidentified.”

We have an interesting personal anecdote to relate. Our publicist has urged Daniel to create a short 2-3 minute video to use a promotional device for his about to be released book, The Curious World of Bugs. The video would be used to drum up television appearances including his much dreamed about Martha Stewart spot. The morning of the video shoot, while he was still trying to settle upon a topic, his neighbor Elena walked by. She was delivering the caterpillar of a Tomato Hornworm to the child of another neighbor who was raising them to observe metamorphosis. Daniel knew he had one lurking on one of his tomato plants because of the telltale signs of chewed leaves and green droppings, and he quickly located the culprit. He was going to give it to Elena to deliver along with her caterpillar, but at the last moment, he decided it would be a nice treat for his Fuzzy Bottom Gals, the new chickens. Moments after the happy chicks finished fighting over the succulent green caterpillar, Daniel realized he had just fed the ideal topic for the video to the gals, and he decided to walk to the neighbor’s house to borrow the Tomato Hornworm Elena had found. He returned with the caterpillar in a plastic produce box and sat to write the bullet points for the video monologue, not wanting to place the Tomato Hornworm on the plant too early since they are so well camouflaged and he wanted to be able to place it where the camera could easily include it. About a half an hour before the video shoot, Daniel discovered that the Tomato Hornworm had escaped and it was nowhere to be found, so two different caterpillar subjects evaded a video appearance. Undaunted, Daniel did the video without the subject actually appearing. Hopefully he will be bright, witty and charming enough to entice the producers of the Martha Stewart Show to consider him for a guest appearance, even without a caterpillar. Daniel still has to inform the little girl up the street, Milo, that her Tomato Hornworm is an escape artist.

Update on the Tobacco Hornworm: Parasitized by Braconid Wasp!!!
What a great story! I hope the little girl wasn’t upset about her caterpillar. Sad update though, it has since died. We decided after my first email to keep it and hope for the best. Fed it many fresh tomato leaves and thought things were going well. It got lethargic so I sat the critter carrier we bought for him outside in the sunlight and hoped the warmth would help him. The next day, my daughter came running in and told me of the oval things on its back. I had to break the news that this poor caterpillar was dying and there was nothing I could do. I’ve attached the most recent photo of our poor caterpillar in case you want to use it on the site.

parasitized hornworm jessica 300x206 Tobacco Hornworm and update with Brachonid Parasites

Tobacco Hornworm parasitized by Braconid Wasp

Thanks for the update Jessica,
Daniel has still not told Milo, but he did notify her father that he would pay a visit and provide an explanation. Your Tobacco Hornworm was a goner before you discovered it. It had been parasitized by a Braconid Wasp. The Braconid lays eggs by “injecting” them into the Hornworm with an ovipositor. The larval Braconids feed upon the internal organs of the Hornworm, eventually emerging to pupate on the surface, which your photograph illustrates. Braconids are considered biological control methods for many agricultural pests, though their hosts are not limited to plant feeding insects. Most Braconids are very species specific when it comes to the choice of where to lay eggs.

Update on Mt Washington Tobacco Hornworms
August 24, 2010
Daniel told Milo and she was understanding. Daniel spotted this Tobacco Hornworm on the Caspian Pink, and he is going to let Milo know there is a caterpillar for her. He is going to recommend a terrarium with a live potted tomato plant for raising it.

Tobacco Hornworm in Mt Washington

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¶ Posted 15 August 2010 § Curious World of Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Hornworm parasitized by Braconid Wasp Pupae

caterpillar with white sacs
Location: Church Hill, Tn
August 11, 2010 6:17 am
Can you identify this caterpillar found
in my backyard?
Linda Luster

Parasitized Hornworm Larva

Hi Linda,
Your caterpillar is a Sphinx Moth Caterpillar, commonly called a Hornworm. Since the caterpillar was found on tomato (as evidenced by the name on the photographic digital file), it is one of two species in the genus Manduca. It might be the Carolina Sphinx, Manduca sexta, whose caterpillar is known as the Tobacco Hornworm (see BugGuide), or it might be the Five Spotted Hawkmoth, Manduca quinquemaculata, whose caterpillar is known as the Tomato Hornworm (see BugGuide). The distinguishing features on the caterpillar are obscured by the angle of view and by the pupae of a Braconid Wasp. There are many different Parasitoid Wasps that look very similar, and it is believed that Cotesia congregata may be host specific to Manduca sexta, according to BugGuide. The female wasp lays her eggs inside the caterpillar using her ovipositor. The eggs hatch and the wasp larvae feed on the inner organs of the caterpillar, eventually burrowing to the surface where they form the cocoons visible on your specimen. The caterpillar is doomed from the point the eggs are laid, but it continues to live and feed so that it can provide nourishment for the growing Braconid Larvae. Both the Tomato Hornworm and the Tobacco Hornworm feed on tomato plant leaves.

Daniel,
Thank you for your prompt response to my question. I am amazed at the wealth of knowledge that
can be found on your website. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Linda Luster
PS I grew up loving bugs and at age 55, I am still facinated by them. I am one of 8 children. My sister, who
is 2 years older than me, hated bugs as we grew up. Since there were always baby food jars at our house,
I would take an empty one and go outside to “catch bugs”. One night, I took the jar with me to bed. I shared
the same bedroom with my sister. During the night, the lid accidentally came off and the bugs were in our bed.
My sister woke up, screaming. The bugs were rolly-polly’s and were crawling in the bed. Needless to say, my mom
ask me not to take them to bed with me anymore.
Thought you might need a chuckle.

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¶ Posted 11 August 2010 § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: food chain

Pandora Sphinx Caterpillar

luna moth and caterpillar question
Location: West Columbia, Brazoria, Texas
August 8, 2010 11:45 pm
Hi,
I know you get a lot of luna moth pictures, but this is the first one I have ever seen. This is the second of 2 I saw that day, July 16, 2010. The first appeared to be injured and hung out on a banana plant all day. This one seemed healthy and stayed on the fence most of the day. After looking at all the beautiful pictures on your website, I was really happy to see one.
The caterpillar I saw the same day and I was hoping you could help me identify it. Thank you!
John in SE Texas

Pandora Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi John,
This is a late instar of the green morph of a Pandora Sphinx Caterpillar, Eumorpha pandorus. Caterpillars of Sphinx Moths in the family Sphingidae are commonly called Hornworms since most possess a caudal horn. The Pandora Sphinx loses its horn in its final molts before becoming a pupa. The caterpillar is commonly seen in orange and brown morphs as well as the green one you have found. We recommend visiting Bill Oehlke’s page on the Pandora Sphinx.

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¶ Posted 09 August 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Abbott’s Sphinx Caterpillar

abbott sphinx moth caterpillar
July 7, 2010
Hello, I notice you have a number of photos of Abbott Sphinx Moth caterpillars. I would like to share these photos I took last summer of one I found in my sister’s garden while removing some overgrown wild grape vines in case they are useful to you. Thank you for all the additional information you have provided on this site!
I was amazed at how chubby this caterpillar was and the noise it made at me. I photographed it on my gardening gloves to give it some scale. Hope this may be useful to you.
I enjoy photographing bugs and am glad to have found your site.
Alison
London, Ontario, Canada

Abbott's Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Alison,
Your photos are great. They clearly show the caudal bump on the rump end of the caterpillar. Most Sphinx Moth caterpillars have a caudal horn, giving rise to the common name Hornworm for the Caterpillars. The Abbott’s Sphinx, Sphecodina abbotti, loses its horn after the initial instars, and it is left with this bump that resembles an eye. Eyespots like this are known as ocelli, a term that is also used for primitive eyes found on many insects. BugGuide has a nice explanation of ocelli. The ocellus on the Abbott’s Sphinx may confuse and startle a predator like a bird into thinking that the succulent caterpillar might be a threatening snake. Your photos nicely illustrate how the Abbott’s Sphinx Caterpillar might be confused for a snake.

Abbott's Sphinx Caterpillar

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¶ Posted 08 July 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Caterpillar of the Abbott’s Sphinx

Unknown catrerpillar
July 5, 2010
We found this caterpillar near a grapevine. I was strucked by that single eye. When it relaxed, it looked more like a normal caterpillar, but when it was disturbed it instantly curled up (in the position in the photographs) and made an intermittent buzzing sound, as though it were imitating a snake – perhaps to ward off an attack by birds?
Blu Mackintosh
Eastern Ontario, shores of the St. Lawrence River, 44º20′N by 76º00′W

Abbott's Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Blu,
The caterpillar of the Abbott’s Sphinx, Sphecodina abbottii, has several different color morphs, and this brown form is just one of at least three variations. You can view the other color variations on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. Grape is a common host plant for the caterpillars which are also reported to feed on Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy.

Daniel, thank you so much for your quick reply. I have forwarded Bill Oehlke’s website address to my grandchildren, to show them what my mystery caterpillar turned out to be. I had no idea that one caterpillar could have so many different forms. What a challenge for researchers, to ascertain that such differing larvae could all be the same animal!
Amazing to think about: How would the caterpillar find that grapevine? The one it was near happens to be a cultivated species, but there is a lot of wild grapevine on our property, too. (…and Virginia Creeper, and Poison Ivy).
Thanks again,
Anne Mackintosh

Hi Anne,
To respond to your new question, the Caterpillar did not find the grape vine. The adult female moth laid the egg on the grape vine to ensure that her progeny would have a ready food supply upon hatching.

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¶ Posted 05 July 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Possibly Snowberry Clearwing Caterpillar

pink and green horned caterpillar
June 30, 2010
I took a picture of a large pink and green caterpillar with a single horn that I found in the Carbon County, PA area. It was in a grove of crabapple trees. It was discovered in mid June. Any help on identification would be greatly appreciated.
Jessica
Carbon County, PA

Possibly nowberry Clearwing Caterpillar

Hi Jessica,
Your caterpillar is a Hornworm in the family Sphingidae. We are nearly certain your caterpillar is that of a Snowberry Clearwing, Hemaris diffinis, and we are basing that on a photo posted to BugGuide.

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¶ Posted 01 July 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Abbott’s Sphinx Caterpillar

What is this caterpiller?
June 13, 2010
We found this caterpiller while hiking at amicollola Falls, georgia.It was brightly colored teal and brown and alsoa little agressive. Please help identify. I cannot find anywhere.
Stacy Miles
North georgia

Abbott's Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Stacy,
This is one of several color variations, known as morphs, for the caterpillar of the Abbott’s Sphinx, Sphecodina abbottii, a species that is profiled on BugGuide.

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¶ Posted 13 June 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Sphinx Moth Pupa

Please identify this insect pod?
April 29, 2010
Bugman, I turned up this pod in a small garden plot in my backyard in NW Arkansas. I thought it might be a pod of a Cicada, but could not find anything on the internet to identify it. Your help would be appreciated.
Charlie
Charlie McKinnie
North West Arkansas (Holiday Island)

Sphinx Moth Pupa

Hi Charlie,
This is the pupa of a Sphinx Moth, most likely one of the species in the genus Manduca that have caterpillars which feed upon the leaves of tomato plants. After gorging on leaves for a few weeks, the caterpillar buries itself an pupates.

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¶ Posted 30 April 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) °