This is the larva of Paonias astylus (Huckleberry Sphinx) that I posted a while ago. This larva was spectacularly colored with it's gorgeous red splotching. The other neat thing about this larva is where it was found. This was found in Fort Indiantown Gap Military Base in Pennsylvania. I was lucky enough to assist on a moth survey there and oh boy did we find lots of caterpillars. This is an easy species to differentiate from the other two Paonias (P. myops and P. excaecata) found in the USA. The best way is by hostplant, if it's feeding solely on Vaccinium (Blueberry/Huckleberry), it could be this guy, but it could also be Paonias excaecata (Blinded Sphinx). The next thing to look at is the caudal horn, if it's distinctly bicolored and sticks straight up, congratulations, you have Paonias astylus! This species also tends to have a lot more red on it in comparison to the others, but that doesn't always help. This is one of the best times of year for caterpillars in the Northeast, and elsewhere in the US. You can learn a lot more about this species at www.sphingidae.us/paonias-astylus. We also have a key to larvae on the SphingidaeUSA website which can be super useful for IDing final instar Sphingidae caterpillars. Check it out! #Paoniasastylus #Paonias #Sphingidae #SphinxMoth #HawkMoth #HuckleberrySphinx #Caterpillar #SphingidaeUSA #Website #Educational #Nature #Entomology #Lepidoptera #Insect https://www.instagram.com/p/B14RvTKgj_L/?igshid=1jpo0lmgq0vuj
