White-lined Sphynx Moth larvae (hiles lineata) are extremely large and can occur in mass. Two broods of caterpillars emerge from eggs each year. The larvae have a distinctive hook at the tail. These soft-bodied rhinos are voracious eating machines. Prairie hosts include Evening Primrose, Toothed Spurge, and Purslane.
The larva have three pair of true legs in the thoracic area and four prolegs in the abdominal section. The prolegs are not true legs. They are small fleshy stubs with a tiny circle of gripping hooks called crochets. The prolegs move via hydraulics. The larva have about 4,000 muscles. They move by contracting their muscles, which slides their internal organs forward. The body elongates and then contracts--picture a slinky. They breathe through openings along their sides called spiracles.
The caterpillar life cycle includes a series of moults before they pupate in shallow burrows in the ground. They have very diverse coloration. I expect a large population of White-lined Sphynx Moths in a couple of weeks.
© Ilija Lukić 2011
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Breakfast Buffet
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Voracious Defoliator
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Dark Morph
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Green Rhino
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Eating Machine
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Cryptic Coloration
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Worm Sign
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Prairie Slinky
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| Green Is Beautiful |
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White-Lined Sphynx Moth Larva
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La Cabeza Calva Verde
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