Blackburn's sphinx moth (Manduca blackburni)

Listing Status: Endangered

Where Listed: WHEREVER FOUND

General Information

Blackburn's Sphinx Moth is Hawaii's largest native insect, with a wing span of up to 5 inches (12 centimeters). Like other sphinx moths, it has long, narrow forewings and a thick, spindle shaped body tapered at both ends. It is grayish brown in color with black bands across the top margins of the hindwings and five orange spots along each side of the abdomen. The large caterpillars occur in two color morphs, bright green or gray with scattered white speckles throughout the back and a horizontal white stripe on the side margin of each segment. In its larval stage, the Blackburn's sphinx moth is a 3.5- to 4-inch (9- to 10-centimeter) caterpillar.
Current Listing Status Summary

» Range Information

Current Range
Last Updated: 01-25-2022 - Wherever found
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  • Wherever found

    Listing status: Endangered

    • States/US Territories in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: Hawaii
    • US Counties in which this population is known to or is believed to occur: View All
    • USFWS Refuges in which this population is known to occur: 

» Candidate Information

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Federal Register Documents

» Species Status Assessments (SSAs)

Species Status Assessments (SSAs)

No Species Status Assessments (SSA's) are currently available for this species.

Special Rule Publications

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» Life History

Habitat Requirements

Blackburn’s sphinx moths are found in dry to mesic forest habitats. Majority of the current BSM range is now based on tree tobacco occurrence as well as in more intact native dry forests and shrublands where remnant aiea persists. While the current distribution of BSM is tied most closely to the presence of tree tobacco, not all areas where tree tobacco occurs are occupied. It is likely that other limiting factors determine whether tree tobacco plants are occupied by BSM, including the presence of parasites and predators, distance from occupied areas, presence of food resources for adults, and moisture regime.

Food Habits

Rubinoff and San Jose (2010) examined larval host plant preferences for this species and confirmed findings of previous studies that BSM larvae could develop on a range of native and non-native plants in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. In addition to using known larval hosts like the native and endangered aiea (Nothocestrum spp.) and the invasive1 tree tobacco (Nicotiana glauca), BSM also have the ability to develop fully on the native olohua (glossy nightshade; Solanum americanum) and popolo aikeakua (Solanum sandwicense) in a laboratory setting (Rubinoff and San Jose 2010).

Movement / Home Range

Blackburn’s sphinx moths are found in dry to mesic forest habitats. When listed in 2000, BSM was known from 2 sites on Maui, 2 sites on the island of Hawaii, and on Kahoolawe (USFWS 2000). We now know that it is more widespread on at least Maui and Hawaii. While key sites on Maui and Hawaii were associated with the largest concentrations of aiea on the respective islands, at least one of the original Maui sites and the population on Kahoolawe had no aiea present. At these sites, the species appeared entirely dependent on tree tobacco; or on Maui, possibly on naturalized commercial tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) (USFWS 2000). Our current knowledge of the overall distribution of BSM is based largely on incidental sightings. On Maui, observations of BSM have been made from the Kanaio area on leeward Haleakala, Ulupalakua, Wailea/Makena, Makawao, Launiupoko on west Maui, along Kuihelani Highway in the central valley, and along the north coast from Waihee to Kanaha (USFWS 2005, USFWS unpubl. data). BSM has been recently documented from surveys on Kahoolawe, which were conducted in 2018 and 2019. Similar to previous documentation, BSM was found to be not uncommon on tree tobacco (C. King pers. comm. 2018); however data from this survey are not yet available. On the island of Hawaii, BSM are known from the Puu Anahulu & Puu Waawaa areas, as well as along Saddle Road. BSM presence is not currently known from Lanai, though there were reports of moths present in 2011 (USFWS unpubl. data). None have been reported since that time, though no comprehensive surveys have been conducted. No recent sightings have been made on Molokai (last observed in 1940s), Oahu (1931), or Kauai (1940).

Reproductive Strategy

Sphinx moths usually mate quickly after reaching adulthood. The female sphinx moth may lay as many as 1,000 eggs, usually on the surface of an aiea, a native Hawaiian plant that is its preferred host plant. A few days later, the eggs hatch. The male and female die after reproducing. In its larval (caterpillar) stage, the Blackburn's sphinx moth is a 3.5- to 4-inch (9- to 10-centimeter) caterpillar. The caterpillars can be either bright green or gray with white spots or lines. They are usually called "hornworms" because they have a red or black horn on their abdomen. The caterpillars feed on plants from the nightshade family, from which they eat the leaves, stems, and flowers. Blackburn's sphinx moths also eat plants that have been introduced to Hawaii, such as a variety of tobacco plants, as well as eggplant and tomato. After the larval stage, the insect goes through the pupal (cocoon) stage, for which it goes underground. In this stage, it transforms, to eventually rise up to the surface as an adult moth. Nothocestrum latifolium (aiea) and N. breviflorum (aiea) are both known larval host plants for the species (Riotte 1986). Other host plants include non-native Nicotiana tabacum (commercial tobacco), Nicotiana glauca (tree tobacco), Solanum melongena (eggplant), Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), and possibly Datura stramonium (Jimson weed)(Riotte 1986). Recent work on moth captive propagation indicates that tomato may be a suboptimal larval host plant (Rubinoff 2007).

Other

Overall, the BSM is likely more widespread than originally known at the time of listing. The species is found on three different islands in a variety of habitats using multiple larval host species, both native and non-native. Surveys on the island of Hawaii have found high densities of the species, which project to a large and robust population across the area of potential habitat.

» Other Resources

NatureServe Explorer Species Reports-- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports-- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video." +

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