tomato hornworm

American  

noun

1. the larva of a hawk moth, Manduca quinquemaculata, having a black, hornlike structure at the rear, that feeds on the leaves of tomato, potato, and other plants of the nightshade family.

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Etymology

Origin of tomato hornworm

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

You can also encourage predatory insects such as the parasitic wasp that will eat the tomato hornworm.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2021

Garden pests are often highly specialized and named after their favorite food: cabbageworm, corn earworm, tomato hornworm, Colorado potato beetle, cucumber beetle, pea weevil, pepper maggot, Mexican bean beetle, and so on.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2021

But as the tomato hornworm story shows us, our ability has a gaping vulnerability: sometimes the ideas we spread are wrong.

From Scientific American • Sep. 3, 2019

This appearance of the tomato hornworm was followed by terrifying reports of fatal poisonings and aggressive behavior toward people.

From Scientific American • Sep. 3, 2019

If I want to see what sort of creature the tomato hornworm becomes, I turn to Page 147 and find a large and handsome moth, the five-spotted hawk moth.

From Washington Post • Jan. 30, 2018