Bedstraw Sphinx Moth Larva

Description:

A black form of the Bedstraw Sphinx Moth (also called the Gallium Sphinx), about 3.5 to 4 cm in length. It was feeding on Fireweed. This one was unusual in that the head capsule was black, while usually reddish in most forms. The subdorsal yellow spots were also small in comparison to most others and the tail spine had only a small band of reddish coloring at the base instead of being all red. This was probably a last instar based on its size and the time of year. What looks like silk around the larva is actually fibers of the Fireweed plant and not silk produced by the larva.

Habitat:

Along the roadside, close to town, Skagway, Alaska.

Notes:

See this article: http://www.silkmoths.m.bizland.com/Sphin... for pictures of the larvae, and this one (https://www.123rf.com/photo_97248920_mal...) for pictures of the adult moth.