Tomato hornworm
The tomato hornworm is a big green caterpillar with a dark pointy horn on its tail end. It munches tomato plants in gardens and can grow as long as a grown-up's finger. Later it turns into a large brown and grey moth called the five-spotted hawkmoth.
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Fun facts
The moth has five yellow spots along each side of its tummy, which gives it its other name.
The moth's drinking tube is about 10 centimetres long, perfect for reaching deep into flowers.
The caterpillar has eight white V-shaped marks along each side.
The mother moth lays her eggs one at a time on young leaves close to the stem, where her babies are safest.
When it is fully grown, the caterpillar drops to the ground and spends the winter in the soil as a pupa.
Most asked questions about Tomato hornworm
?Can a tomato hornworm sting you?
No. The horn on its tail looks scary, but it is harmless.
?What does a tomato hornworm turn into?
A big brown and grey moth called the five-spotted hawkmoth.
?How big is a tomato hornworm?
The caterpillar can grow up to about 10 centimetres long, and the moth's wings can reach 13 centimetres across.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Manduca quinquemaculata
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- North America, Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Five-spotted hawkmoth
Where the facts come from
- Manduca quinquemaculata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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