Updated as per James P. Tuttle's The Hawk Moths of North America, August 30, 2008
Updated with H. thetis in extreme western Wyoming, August 2009

The Sphingidae of Montana

Sphinx perelegans courtesy of T. W. Davies.

Click on one of the Scientific names to see images and access information. N.B., the files are not linked back to this page. To return to this index, simply use your browser back button.

Please help me improve this site by sending sighting data (species; location [county]; date) to
Bill Oehlke.
Images are also greatly appreciated and will be used and credited (with permission) on county pictoral checklist. see bottom of this page. I will attempt to identify any Sphingidae larvae or adults that are unknown to you.

Sphinginae subfamily

Sphingini Tribe:

Ceratomia amyntor NE 1/8
Ceratomia undulosa NE 2/5
Manduca quinquemaculata NE 1/8 mmmmmmmmm
Sphinx chersis NE 2/5
Sphinx drupiferarum T
Sphinx gordius XNE
Sphinx kalmiae XNE
Sphinx luscitiosa E 4/5
Sphinx perelegans XNW
Sphinx poecila XNW?
Sphinx vashti T

Smerinthini Tribe:

Pachysphinx modesta T
Pachysphinx occidentalis SW 4/5
Paonias excaecata ab SW 1/8
Paonias myops T
Smerinthus cerisyi T
Smerinthus jamaicensis XN





Macroglossinae subfamily

Dilophonotini Tribe:mm

Hemaris diffinis T
Hemaris senta SW 1/2
sents might be same as thetis
Hemaris thetis EX W
Hemaris thysbe E 1/4

Philampelini Tribe:mm

E. achemon ?? stray






Macroglossini Tribe:

Hyles euphorbiae E 3/4
Hyles gallii T
Hyles lineata T
Pro. flavofasciata SW 2/5
Pro. juanita NE 1/2


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Return to Main Sphingidae Index

Common Names

Four-horned Sphinx Ceratomia amyntor
Waved Sphinx Ceratomia undulosa
Five-spotted Hawk Moth Manduca quinquemaculata
Great ash sphinx Sphinx chersis
Wild cherry sphinx Sphinx drupiferarum
Apple Sphinx Sphinx gordius extreme northeast
Laurel Sphinx Sphinx kalmiae extreme northeast
Clemens' Sphinx Sphinx luscitiosa
Elegant Sphinx Sphinx perelegans extreme northwest
Poecila Sphinx Sphinx poecila maybe in extreme northwest
Vashti sphinx Sphinx vashti

Modest sphinx Pachysphinx modesta
Big poplar sphinx Pachysphinx occidentalis
Blinded sphinx Paonias excaecata
Small-eyed sphinx Paonias myops
One-eyed sphinx Smerinthus cerisyi
Twin-spotted Sphinx Smerinthus jamaicenis extreme north, along border

Snowberry clearwing Hemaris diffinis
Rocky Mountain clearwing Hemaris senta
Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe

Achemon Sphinx Eumorpha achemon unlikely stray

Leafy spurge hawkmoth Hyles euphorbiae
Bedstraw hawkmoth Hyles gallii
White-lined sphinx Hyles lineata
Yellow-banded sphinx Proserpinus flavofasciata
Juanita Sphinx Proserpinus juanita

Hyles euphorbiae, Great Falls (Cascade Co.), Montana, July 29, 2006, courtesy of Ingrid Ryder.

Individual county checklists: Counties will be completed as sightings arrive. Currently only those in red are active.

Western Montana

Lincoln
Toole
Mineral
Lewis and Clark
Beaverhead
Gallatin

Flathead
Liberty
Missoula
Cascade
Deer Lodge
Park

Glacier
Hill
Powell
Judith Basin
Silver Bow
Wheatland

Hampden
Pondera
Ravalli
Broadwater
Jefferson
Sweet Grass

Worcester
Chouteau
Nantucket
Meagher
Madison
Stillwater

Western Montana: Sphingidae Larvae

Lincoln
Toole
Mineral
Lewis and Clark
Beaverhead
Gallatin

Flathead
Liberty
Missoula
Cascade
Deer Lodge
Park

Glacier
Hill
Powell
Judith Basin
Silver Bow
Wheatland

Hampden
Pondera
Ravalli
Broadwater
Jefferson
Sweet Grass

Worcester
Chouteau
Nantucket
Meagher
Madison
Stillwater

Enjoy some of nature's wonderments, giant silk moth cocoons. These cocoons are for sale winter and fall. Beautiful Saturniidae moths will emerge the following spring and summer. Read Actias luna rearing article. Additional online help available.

Eggs of many North American species are offered during the spring and summer. Occasionally summer Actias luna and summer Antheraea polyphemus cocoons are available. Shipping to US destinations is done from with in the US.

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This page is brought to you by Bill Oehlke and the WLSS. Pages are on space rented from Bizland. If you would like to become a "Patron of the Sphingidae Site", contact Bill.

Please send sightings/images to Bill. I will do my best to respond to requests for identification help.


Show appreciation for this site by clicking on flashing butterfly to the left.
The link will take you to a page with links to many insect sites.

Bonnie Hickey (Cashman Nursery), writes, August 2, 2007, "I have enjoyed watching these caterpillars on my Euphorbia mysinites in my yard in Bozeman (Gallatin County), Montana, for the past several summers. They do not feed on the Euphorbia polychroma or griffithii, however. I was planning to remove some of the Euphorbias but have decided to control seedlings with Preen instead so that I can continue to watch all the color stages of these caterpillars in future years!"