Manduca florestan

Distinguished from similar Manduca species by geographic range and flight period. In the United States, adults fly from late June to early August, overlapping partially with M. sexta (Carolina sphinx) and M. rustica (rustic sphinx), but M. florestan tends to appear slightly earlier in the season than some congeners in Arizona. The species is more frequently encountered at light traps than at flowers. Definitive identification often requires examination of genitalia or comparison with voucher specimens due to similarity to other large brown sphinx moths.

Occurs in oak-juniper woodland, mesquite-acacia scrub, and riparian corridors in arid and semi-arid regions. In the United States, found in mountainous areas of southern Arizona and New Mexico and in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Attracted to artificial light sources in these habitats.

Ranges from the southwestern United States (mountains of southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas) south through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Central America to Costa Rica, and throughout much of South America including Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Suriname.

In the United States, adults are on wing from late June to early August with one generation per year. In Bolivia, adults have been reported in March and from October to December. In Costa Rica, adults fly year-round.

• Plumeria rubra - nectar sourceAdults observed feeding on nectar in Costa Rica

One generation per year in the United States. Larval host plants include species in Bignoniaceae (Tecoma, Macfadyena, Pyrostegia), Verbenaceae (Citharexylum, Stachytarpheta, Callicarpa, Lantana, Vitex), Acanthaceae (Aegiphila, Cydista, Callichlamys), Bignoniaceae (Tabebuia), and Boraginaceae (Cordia). In Brazil, larvae have been reported on Lantana camara, Pyrostegia venusta, and Vitex megapotamica.

Adults are strongly attracted to mercury-vapor and ultraviolet light sources, frequently appearing at light sheets in oak-juniper woodland. Adults feed on nectar from various flowers. Nocturnal activity pattern typical of sphingid moths.

Adults function as pollinators when feeding on nectar. Larvae are herbivores that feed on leaves of woody plants in several families, potentially serving as a food source for parasitoids and predators.

Occasionally encountered by entomologists and moth enthusiasts at light traps. No significant economic impact documented; larvae feed on native and ornamental plants but are not reported as agricultural pests.

• Manduca sextaSimilar large size and brown coloration; M. sexta has more northerly distribution and later flight period in Arizona (July–August), with distinctive black-and-white abdominal patterning not seen in M. florestan
• Manduca rusticaOverlaps in range and season; M. rustica has more contrasting wing patterns with distinct pale patches and flies slightly later in the season

• hawkmoth
• sphinx moth
• nocturnal
• light-attracted
• riparian
• oak-juniper woodland

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Belostomatidae | Beetles In The Bush