Manduca blackburni


Manduca blackburni, the Hawaiian tomato hornworm, Hawaiian tobacco hornworm or Blackburn's sphinx moth, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880. It is endemic to Hawaii. Previously known from all of the main islands, this rare moth is now limited to Maui, the Big Island, and Kahoolawe. It is found in coastal mesic and dry forests at elevations from sea level.
Manduca blackburni is closely related to the tomato hornworm, which it also physically resembles. It was listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000, making it the first Hawaiian insect to receive such a status.
Larvae feed on plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, especially native aiea, but also non-native tomatoes, tobacco, tree tobacco, jimson weed, and eggplant. The adult feeds on nectar from native plants such as koali awa and maiapilo.