Abdomen usually has 6 pairs of yellow bands. Forewing has indistinct black, brown, and white markings. Hindwing is banded with black and white and has 2 black zigzag median lines that are very close together with hardly any white showing between them. Wing fringes on forewing are spotted with white. The caterpillars are known as Tobacco Hornworms, and each has a red-tipped horn at the end of its abdomen.
Caterpillars have large appetites for leaves and fruits and can defoliate plants quickly.
Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in burrows in the soil. Tobacco fields, vegetable gardens, and a wide variety of habitats. Ranges south through Mexico and the West Indies to Argentina. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Distribution and phenologies of Louisiana Sphingidae.