Manduca quinquemaculata

Manduca quinquemaculata
Male - dorsal view
Male - ventral view
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Manduca
Species:	M. quinquemaculata
Binomial name
Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803)[1]
Synonyms
Sphinx 5-maculatus Haworth, 1803 Phlegethontius quinquemaculatus Protoparce quinquemaculatus Phlegethontius celeus Hübner, 1821 Protoparce quinquemaculatus wirti Schaus, 1927

Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to (and sometimes confused with) the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.