Agrius cingulata

Agrius cingulata, the pink-spotted hawkmoth or sweetpotato hornworm, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

Agrius cingulata
male, Mount Totumas cloud forest, Panama
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Agrius
Species:	A. cingulata
Binomial name
Agrius cingulata (Fabricius, 1775)[1]
Native range, see text for details
Synonyms
Sphinx cingulata Fabricius, 1775 Herse cingulata Protoparce cingulata Phlegethontius cingulata Sphinx affinis Goeze, 1780 Sphinx pungens Eschscholtz, 1821 Sphinx druraei Donovan, 1810 Agrius cingulatus Agrius cingulata ypsilon-nigrum Bryk, 1953 Herse cingulata pallida Closs, 1917 Herse cingulata tukurine Lichy, 1943 Sphinx cingulata decolora Edwards, 1882

Description

The imago has a wingspan of 3+3⁄4 to 4+3⁄4 inches (9.5–12 cm). Its robust body is gray brown with pink bands. The abdomen tapers to a point. The hindwings are gray with black bands and pink at the bases.

• 
  Female
• 
  Female underside
• 
  Male
• 
  Male underside

Biology

The imago is nocturnal.^[2] It feeds on the nectar from deep-throated flowers including moonflower (Calonyction aculeatum), morning glories (Convolvulus species), and petunias (Petunia species).^[3][4]

The larva is a large, stout caterpillar with a horn. It feeds during the day and the night on sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), Datura species, and other plants. It is known as a pest of sweet potato.^[3]

Distribution

This is mainly a neotropical species, and the adults migrate north to Canada and south to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. It can also be found in the Galápagos Islands and Hawaii. It has been reported from western Europe, including Portugal and the United Kingdom. It has recently become established in West Africa and Cape Verde, possibly having originated in Brazil.^[5][6][7]

Gallery

• 
  Adult variation
• 
  Caterpillar