Ceratomia hageni
Encyclopedia
Hagen's Sphinx sometimes referred to as the Osage Orange Sphinx, is a hawk moth of the Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family.

Range

Ceratomia hageni is a native of midwest North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 and can be found from Michigan to Georgia, Nebraska to Texas, and most places in between, with regards to its only known host plant.

Life cycle

From oviposition
Oviposition
Oviposition is the process of laying eggs by oviparous animals.Some arthropods, for example, lay their eggs with an organ called the ovipositor.Fish , amphibians, reptiles, birds and monetremata also lay eggs....

 of the eggs to pupation, approximately four weeks will pass. Where multiple broods occur, pupae will eclose
Eclose
Eclose is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France....

 in two weeks, or when conditions are suitable in cool climates. Adult C. hageni have many colors, viewable when looked over thoroughly. The forewing(FW) is grayish green and has many, wavy lines, similar to other specimens of the Ceratomia genera. The hindwing(HW) is a browner gray with a lighter gray towards the outer margins.

Egg

Translucent, milky-white, green eggs are oval, being about .5 mm in diameter. Eggs are laid in masses on the undersurface of leaves, while smaller masses are deposited onto branches on the Osage-orange tree. Eggs incubate and hatch five to seven days after oviposition
Oviposition
Oviposition is the process of laying eggs by oviparous animals.Some arthropods, for example, lay their eggs with an organ called the ovipositor.Fish , amphibians, reptiles, birds and monetremata also lay eggs....

.

Pupa

As with most other Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

, Ceratomia hageni will burrow into the ground after its fifth and final instar in order to pupate. The larvae will go into a "wandering" stage where it leaves the Osage-orange tree and climbs to the ground to find a place to bury itself so that it may pupate. The larvae will then shed its fifth instar skin to reveal its pupal skin, which will be soft and almost translucent at first, but will then harden to a light brown for protection from the elements.

Food Plants

C. hageni is known to feed on only one food;
  • Maclura pomifera, (Osage-orange)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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