Pupa ID

[James M]

Hi, I found this pupa in soil today and I was wondering can anyone ID it?


apologies for the quality.

[GuyF]

Would you be able to give a rough size of the pupa? It looks like it's got a tail spike, which I think makes it a Hawkmoth species of some kind, depending on the size.
Guy

[James M]

Oh yes sorry forgot to mention the size, it's actually quite small I would say about 3cm.

[GuyF]

I'm sure there are people who know more about pupa than I do so I may well be wrong, but judging by the tail spike and the size, maybe Hummingbird, Poplar or Eyed Hawkmoth? I don't know the sizes of these moth's pupa, but they look similar to the photo.
Guy

[James M]

Thanks I did a search and it does look similar to some of them, I suppose I will have to wait till it hatches to found out for sure.

[Lance Morgan]

This is not a hawkmoth. Most likely angleshades moth. very common and continuously brooded.

[Bramble]

I agree with angle shades, as I had one in the house not long ago and it was very similar, although they usually roll themselves up in leaf litter first. I had caterpillars, not angle shades ones, when I was younger and they turned into the same sort of pupa. Because I had so many of them I put them all back outside so I don't know what they were. I would love to know what it hatches into, as someone who often has an array of small plastic tubs along her bedroom shelf each with a caterpillar/pupa in

[Lance Morgan]

I would say this is the most commonly found pupa because the caterpillars wander into sheltered place to pupate hence they are likely to be found when people are having a tidy up. They also pupate outside and are turned up in the soil and leaf litter etc.

[James M]

Thanks guys, how long does it normally take to complete the transformation?

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

I'd say Angleshades moth, found one not long ago