What are the morphological characteristics of the Privet Hawk Moth?

The Privet Hawk Moth is also called the Soybean Hawk Moth. It mainly damages black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and also harms soybeans, wisteria, and so on. The larvae feed on the leaves, and in severe cases can strip the trees bare.

Adult: body length 40-50 mm, wingspan 100-120 mm, body and wings yellow-brown, head and pronotum dark purple; near the center of the forewing costa there is 1 pale white semicircular spot, the wing surface has 6 wavy transverse lines, and the wing apex has 1 dark brown oblique line dividing the apex angle into two parts; hindwings dark brown, with the middle part deep brown. Egg: oval, yellow-white. Larva: final instar about 80 mm long, dark green, with yellow spiny granules; 7 white oblique stripes on the sides of the abdomen, and 1 protruding tail horn at the end of the abdomen. Pupa: about 50 mm long, long oval, reddish brown.

The Privet Hawk Moth has 1 generation per year. It overwinters in the soil as fully grown larvae. The following year it pupates in late June, begins to emerge as adults in early July, with the peak emergence in mid-July. Adults mostly lay eggs on the underside of leaves. The egg stage lasts 6-7 days. In late July the eggs hatch into larvae, and the larval stage lasts about 40 days. In September the fully grown larvae enter the soil to overwinter.