ECOLOGY ▪ EDUCATION ▪ ADVOCACY
ECOLOGY ▪ EDUCATION ▪ ADVOCACY
An Indiana Native
Manduca: Latin word meaning “chew” or “jaw.”
Sexta: Latin word meaning “six” refers to the six pair of orange dots, which are typical on the abdomen of adults.
man-DOO-kuh SEX-tuh
Tobacco Hornworm
This map shows the confirmed sightings of the Carolina Sphinx in Indiana. All sightings were confirmed through photographic documentation by individuals who contributed to the Great American IN Nature Lepidoptera Project (GAIN LP).
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GAIN LP documented in county. |
| Date | County | Observer | Notes | Image1 | Image2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-25 | Tippecanoe | Cushman, Iris | Deceased |
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| 2024-09-16 | Wayne | Conwell, Chris |
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| 2024-09-16 | Wayne | Conwell, Chris |
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| 2024-08-25 | Lake | Halon, Joelle |
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| 2024-08-23 | Lake | Halon, Joelle |
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| 2024-08-23 | Lake | Halon, Joelle |
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| 2024-08-22 | Decatur | Ludlow, Jeff |
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| 2024-08-10 | Marion | Kellam, Lillian |
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| 2024-08-10 | Marion | Kellam, Lillian |
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| 2024-06-02 | Hamilton | Avery-Kimball, Bobby |
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| Observation Details | Images |
|---|---|
| Date: 2024-09-25 County: Tippecanoe Observer: Cushman, Iris Notes: Deceased |
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| Date: 2024-09-16 County: Wayne Observer: Conwell, Chris Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-09-16 County: Wayne Observer: Conwell, Chris Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-08-25 County: Lake Observer: Halon, Joelle Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-08-23 County: Lake Observer: Halon, Joelle Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-08-23 County: Lake Observer: Halon, Joelle Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-08-22 County: Decatur Observer: Ludlow, Jeff Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-08-10 County: Marion Observer: Kellam, Lillian Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-08-10 County: Marion Observer: Kellam, Lillian Notes: |
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| Date: 2024-06-02 County: Hamilton Observer: Avery-Kimball, Bobby Notes: |
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The Carolina Sphinx is commonly called the Tobacco Hornworm but is much more commonly found on tomatoes then the closely related Five-spotted Hawkmoth (commonly called the Tomato Hornworm). These caterpillars are common hosts for parasitic wasps that lay their eggs inside the caterpillar and emerge after the complete their metamorphosis, thus killing the caterpillar.
Carolina Sphinx caterpillars hosts on a variety of low-growing plants, many of which are common in gardens and agricultural production, especially species in the Solanaceae Family which includes garden tomatoes. This preference makes them somewhat of a pest to farmers and gardeners.
Adult use their long proboscis to feed on nectar from various flowers.
| Known Larval Food Sources in Indiana for the Manduca sexta | ||
| Family | Taxonomic Name | Common Name |
|---|---|---|
| Order: Asterales | ||
| Asteraceae | Lactuca spp. | Lettuce |
| Order: Brassicales | ||
| Brassicaceae | Brassica spp. | mustards |
| Order: Solanales | ||
| Solanaceae | Datura spp. | daturas (jimsonweeds) |
| Hyoscyamus niger | black henbane | |
| Lycium spp. | wolfberry and desert-thorn | |
| Nicandra physalodes | apple of Peru | |
| Nicotiana spp. | tobacco | |
| Petunia spp. | petunias | |
| Physalis spp. | groundcherries | |
| Solanum spp. | nightshades | |
| Order: Solinales | ||
| Capsicum spp. | peppers | |
| Order: Zingiberales | ||
| Cannaceae | Canna spp. | cannas |
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