Tobacco Hornworm

Description:

From Wiki: Manduca sexta is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the American continent. Commonly known as the tobacco hornworm and the goliath worm, it is closely related to and often confused with the very similar tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata); the larvae of both feed on the foliage of various plants of the family Solanaceae. The tobacco hornworm is sometimes kept as a pet by children throughout its range. It can be distinguished by its seven diagonal lines on its sides; tomato hornworms have eight V-shaped markings.[2] A mnemonic to remember the markings is tobacco hornworms have straight white lines like cigarettes, while tomato hornworms have V-shaped markings (as in "vine-ripened" tomatoes). M. sexta has mechanisms for selectively sequestering and secreting the neurotoxin nicotine present in tobacco.[citation needed] M. sexta is a common model organism, especially in neurobiology, due to its easily accessible nervous system and short life cycle. It is used in a variety of biomedical and biological scientific experiments. It can be easily raised on a wheat-germ-based diet. The larva is large, and thus it is relatively easy to dissect it and isolate its organs. M. sexta larvae are green in color and grow up to 70 millimeters in length. Under laboratory conditions, when fed a wheat-germ based diet, larvae are turquoise due to a lack of pigments in their diet. M. sexta hemolymph (blood) contains the blue-colored protein insecticyanin. When the larva feeds on plants, it ingests pigmentacious carotenoids. Carotenoids are primarily yellow in hue. The resulting combination is green. During the larval stage, M. sexta caterpillars feed on plants of the family Solanaceae, principally tobacco, tomatoes and members of the genus Datura. M. sexta has five larval instars, which are separated by ecdysis (molting), but may add larval instars when nutrient conditions are poor. Near the end of this stage, the caterpillar seeks a location for pupation, burrows underground, and pupates. The searching behaviour is known as "wandering". The imminence of pupation suggested behaviorally by the wandering can be anatomically confirmed by spotting the heart (aorta), which is a long, pulsating vessel running along the length of the caterpillar's dorsal side. The heart appears just as the caterpillar is reaching the end of the final instar. A common biological control for hornworms is the parasitic braconid wasp Cotesia congregata, which lays its eggs in the bodies of the hornworms. The wasp larvae feed internally and emerge from the body to spin their cocoons. Parasitized hornworms are often seen covered with multiple white, cottony wasp cocoons, which are often mistaken for large eggs. Another wasp species, Polistes erythrocephalus, feeds on hornworm larvae.[4] (((See my photo # 2)))

Notes:

Photo 1 - Larva Photo 2 - Larva parisitized by braconid wasp. Adult Manduca Sexta are Carolina sphinx moths