Subject: Unknown pupa
Location: PA
October 23, 2012 9:50 pm
Hi. My mom found this pupa lying on the ground under some trees just a few days ago (mid-October) here in Hershey, PA. Could you please tell me what it is?
Signature: -Shauna
Hi Shauna,
We believe this is the pupa of an Imperial Moth, and you can compare your photo to this image on BugGuide.
Thanks! Someone had told me they thought it was a sphinx moth. The image you shared with me looks exactly like it, though. I wasn’t sure what to tell her to do-I said to just lay it in the woods so nobody stepped on it. Hope that was good advice.
Thanks again!
-Shauna
Sphinx Moth Pupae often have a handle-like casing for the proboscis that is quite distinctive. This is lacking in the Saturniidae, including the Imperial Moth Pupa, since this family does not feed as adults.