Pink-spotted hawkmoth

Hodges #

7771

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5 - Secure

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Pink-spotted hawkmoth is a very large sphinx moth. It is native to South and Central America. It migrates north each year to the eastern, central, and southwestern United States, rarely as far as southern Canada. It is a rare stray to southern Minnesota in late autumn. Larvae feed both day and night on the underside of leaves of plants in the Potato (Solanaceae) and Morning Glory (Convolvulaceae) families. Adults are found in a wide range of habitats but especially disturbed areas and agricultural areas. They are active at night and will come to lights. They feed on the nectar of many deep-throated flowers, including petunia, morning glory, and sweet potato.

Adults are 2¼″ to 2⅝″ (55 to 65 mm) in length and have a 3¾″ to 4¾″ (95 to 120 mm) wingspan. The forewing length is 1 9⁄16″ to 2 5⁄16″ (40 to 58 mm). The body is robust.

The eyes are very large. The antennae are mostly white with a brown stripe on the upper side.

The abdomen tapers in the rear to a point. There is a broad, brown, longitudinal stripe in the middle (middorsal). The front half of each abdominal segment is bright pink, the rear half is black. This is the feature that gives the moth its common name and distinguishes it from all other moths in our area.

The forewing is long, narrow, and pointed. The upper side is strongly mottled brown, grayish-brown, or brownish-gray. The median area is dark and has a small kidney-shaped spot (reniform spot) and two long black dashes behind the spot. The reniform spot is gray or white, and outlined with black. There are more black dashes in the subterminal area. The antemedial (AM) and postmedial (PM) lines are each represented by two jagged black lines. The subterminal (ST) line is black and often incomplete.

The hind wing is bright pink at the base, gray in the postmedial area, and brown in the subterminal and terminal areas. It is crossed with three thick black lines, the innermost curved and almost heart-shaped, the outer two wavy.

Size

Total length: 2¼″ to 2⅝″ (55 to 65 mm)

Wingspan: 3¾″ to 4¾″ (95 to 120 mm)

Similar Species

This is the only species in Minnesota that has pink spots on the abdomen.

Habitat

A wide range of habitats, especially disturbed areas and agricultural areas

Ecology

Season

One generation per year: Late fall in Minnesota

In other areas, two or three generations per year.

Behavior

Adults are active at night

Life Cycle

The female lays a single egg on the underside of a leaf of a host plant. The larva feeds day and night. When mature it drops to the ground, burrows below the surface, creates a chamber, and pupates.

Larva Food/Hosts

Plants in the Potato (Solanaceae) and Morning Glory (Convolvulaceae) families

Adult Food

Nectar from deep-throated flowers, including morning glory, sweet potato, and petunia

Distribution

Sources

21, 24, 30, 75, 82, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 10/8/2026).

Agrius cingulata Fabricius, 1775 in Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Abreu, C., Acero P, A., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (2026-08-26 XR). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgyy9