Head of a tomato hornworm larva, Manduca quinquemaculata green caterpillar on a tomato plant, Ontario, Canada


Head of a tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata green caterpillar on a tomato plant, Ontario, Canada. Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to (and sometimes confused with) the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.


Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: Delaware, Ontario, Canada
Photo credit: © Rubens Alarcon / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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