Manduca ochus male courtesy of Dan Janzen.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802 Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, [1802] Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802 Genus: Manduca Hubner, 1807 ........... Species: ochus Klug, 1836

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DISTRIBUTION:

Manduca ochus (Wing span: (119 - 120 mm)), flies in
Mexico, the specimen type locality;
Belize: Cayo;
Nicaragua: Jinotega, Granada, probably Rivas and elsewhere;
to Venezuela; and
Ecuador??

The adult cannot be confused with any other sphingid that occurs in Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Lemon, Heredia, owing to the very distinctive pattern on the front wings. In Costa Rica, adults of M. ochus are known from all kinds of habitats below about 700 m elevation, but they are always at extremely low density at lights.

FLIGHT TIMES:

In Costa Rica there are probably two or three generations annually with moths on the wing in all months except the driest, February-March and July.

ECLOSION:

Pupae probably wiggle to surface from subterranean chambers just prior to eclosion.

Manduca ochus female courtesy of Dan Janzen.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen. Adults nectar at flowers.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Larvae probably feed on plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

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