Elm Sphinx

C. amyntor can be found from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and western North Dakota and Colorado; south Florida reaching into the Gulf Coast, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

C. amyntor adults fly as a single brood in the northern portions of their range from June to July. There are two broods further south, flying later into the year, and five broods have been confirmed in Louisiana from March to October.

Egg. Tiny, translucent, lime-green eggs deposited on the underside of host leaves. The shells are transparent and pearly after hatching.

Larva. Larvae come in two different color phases; a green phase, and a dark phase which differs in shades of brown, orange, and somewhat of a pinkish brown. Larvae complete all five instars within approximately one month. The first instar is the same shade of green as its egg. As the larva progresses through its instars, change in structure is noticeable. The caterpillar sports four, long, horn-like projections - in addition to the tail horn - from above its head, which is why the elm sphinx is sometimes called the four-horned sphinx.

Pupa. As with other Sphingidae, C. amyntor goes through a "wandering" phase where it stops feeding and burrows into the soil in order to pupate. Before pupating, the larva shrinks a considerable amount and then sheds its remaining skin that distinguishes it as a caterpillar, revealing its shell-like pupa.

Imago. The overall coloring of the imago, or adult, elm sphinx is a gray-brown with wavy markings covering the forewings. …