General Species Information

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Host Plant: Ficus sps.

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Historical Range: Florida, Texas, the Caribbean, Central and South America

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Our Experience with this Species: We have found this species on Key Largo and Big Pine Key in April, May, June and July. It is less common in the Keys than it is on the Florida mainland. 

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Notes: The Ficus Sphinx has declined in South Florida in recent years. I'm guessing that it has something to do with the fact that ornamental ficus species that the larvae use for a host have been decimated by the exotic white fly infestation in recent years causing most of these trees to be removed. This large sphinx is a very impressive species to witness but is rarely encountered. Larvae are frequently parasitized. This species is most frequently encountered when the prepupal larva crawls down out of the ficus trees to find a suitable place to pupate under ground.