Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae.

Females prefer to oviposit on young leaves near the stem of host plants, and early instar caterpillars can often be found here during the day.

[4] Adults feed on nectar from flowering plants including Datura meteloides,[5] Oenothera caespitosa, and Mirabilis multiflora.

The length of the moth's proboscis (around 10 cm), which is an elongated, tubular mouthpart used for sucking and feeding, is well-suited for retrieving nectar from the flowers.

[5] These alkaloids have an intoxicating effects on the moth, which displays erratic flight patterns as well as uncoordinated, and often unsuccessful, landing attempts after consuming the nectar.

M. quinquemaculata has been found to feed from Oenothera caespitosa first and only later to visit Mirabilis multiflora, indicating a preference for the former.

[6] Females lay eggs singly on the surface of host plant leaves in late spring.

[7] The female decides where to lay eggs based on an assessment of the risk of predation her offspring will face.

[4] M. quinquemaculata larvae are large green caterpillars reaching a length of up to 10 cm (3.9 inches) when fully grown.

[7] Caterpillars pupate in early fall, which means they enter a stage of their life cycle where they become a pupa and undergo transformation into a moth.

The abdomens are brown and white with a row of five yellow spots down each side, giving them the name "five-spotted hawkmoth".

Shortly after adults emerge from the soil, they mate and females lay their eggs on host plants, renewing the life cycle.[7]M.

The two species have similar appearances in both larvae and adults and share common food sources, including tobacco.