Manduca clarki is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

Sphingidae

Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family. It is known from Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 and Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

.

The length of the forewings is 45-50 mm. It is similar in appearance to several other members of the Manduca

Manduca

Manduca is a moth genus of the Sphingidae family. The Carolina Sphinx is often used in biological research....

genus, but a number of differences distinguish it from Manduca scutata

Manduca scutata

Manduca scutata is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Venezuela south to Bolivia and northern Argentina.The wingspan is about 95 mm. Adults have been recorded in November....

, Manduca pellenia

Manduca pellenia

Manduca pellenia is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador....

and Manduca lucetius

Manduca lucetius

Manduca lucetius is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Surinam, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay.There is variation in the shape of the forewings...

, to which it most closely compares, particularly in its smaller size, the grey pale parts of the upperside of the thorax and wings and the less elongate forewing shape. Although the fore- and hindwing pattern is almost identical to Manduca lucetius, there is a difference, the marginal grey band of the hindwing is less shaded with black.

There are at least two generations per year with adults on wing from November/December to January and again in July.