''Ceratomia undulosa'', the waved sphinx, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, bu ...

. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1856. Also known as the "Scorpion Moth" (See "Biology" Below").

Distribution

It is found in the United States, and southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, east of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. Adult moths are strictly

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, hiding away as dawn approaches (Fullard & Napoleone 2001).

Description

Ceratomia undulosa MHNT CUT 2010 0 323 Paroisse de Saint-Hilaire Nouveau-Brunswick Canada male dorsal.jpg, Male Ceratomia undulosa MHNT CUT 2010 0 323 Paroisse de Saint-Hilaire Nouveau-Brunswick Canada male ventral.jpg, Male underside Ceratomia undulosa MHNT CUT 2010 0 323 Baltimore County, Maryland, female dorsal.jpg, Female Ceratomia undulosa MHNT CUT 2010 0 323 Baltimore County, Maryland, female ventral.jpg, Female underside - 7787 – Ceratomia undulosa – Waved Sphinx Moth caterpillar (44629357711).jpg, Caterpillar

Biology

Recorded food plants of the larvae include ''

Fraxinus ''Fraxinus'' (), common name, commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of Subtropics, subtropic ...

'' and possibly ''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'' species. Larvae then dig underground to pupate. Most common predator is the Guiana Striped Scorpion, which feasts on the moth's egg clusters. The common proximity of the two species, sometimes showing up as the moth lays her eggs, has resulted in erroneous conclusions that the moths give birth to the scorpions, and the resultant name "Scorpion Moth."

Subspecies

*''Ceratomia undulosa undulosa'' (from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia west to eastern Alberta and Maine to Florida west to the eastern Great Plains and south to Florida, the Gulf Coast and Texas) *''Ceratomia undulosa polingi'' Clark, 1929 (Mexico)

References

External links

"Waved sphinx (''Ceratomia undulosa'')"
''Moths of North America''. U.S. Geological Survey Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Archived December 7, 2005. * Ceratomia Moths described in 1856 Moths of North America {{Sphinginae-stub