Abbott’s Sphinx Caterpillar An Unexpected Visitor

By Alivia Economy

 

 

 

 

One night my family and I found something odd, but kind of interesting. My brother was cleaning out my cat’s litter box, and found a strange looking object.

He told me, “It was brown with one eyeball on each side of its head and greyish-brown looking legs.” My mom came downstairs and screamed! She hates bugs and was too afraid to pick it up, so my brother put it in a cup.

Abbott’s Sphinx Caterpillar

They then examined it to see what it was, but they had no clue. My mom put a post on Facebook and some people identified it. Turns out, it was an abbott’s sphinx caterpillar, also known as a sphecodina abbottii moth.

Here is some information about the moth that forms from the caterpillar we found. According to Wikipedia, “Adults fly in May to June.” I found our caterpillar around that time. “The underwing of the moth has a strong yellow band and in flight the moth buzzes, appearing like a bee. [When they are young they are] pale greenish-white, with at first a horn, but later a brown knob at the hind end. [Adults come in patterns], one has a brown band such that there are 10 large pale greens spots on the back and then an eyespot on the rear. This form may mimic grapes (on which larvae feed). Others are completely brown, with a woodgrain patterning, and with the rear eyespot.”

Photo courtesy Kim Souchak.