Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Agrius cingulata,
Jackson Pink-spotted hawkmoth,
stray.
Strong migrant; adults nectar from
deep-throated flowers including moonflower (Calonyction aculeatum),
morning glory (Convolvulus), honey suckle (Lonicera)
petunia (Petunia species).
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Ceratomia amyntor
WO, Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx.
Forewing uppersidebrown with dark brown and white markings including white costal area near wing base, dark streaks along veins,
& white spot in cell.
Larvae: Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia),
cherry (Prunus). |
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Ceratomia catalpae
WO/Leon,
Catalpa Sphinx.
Forewing upperside yellowish brown with no white markings, indistinct black lines & dashes. Cell spot gray with black outline.
Larvae feed in large groups; much more
spectacular than the moths. Catalpa is the larval host. |
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Ceratomia undulosa
WO/Leon, Waved
Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is pale brownish gray with wavy black
and white lines and a black-outlined white cell spot. The upperside
of the hindwing is gray with diffuse darker bands. |
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Dolba hyloeus
WO, Pawpaw Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with a dusting of white
scales. Some moths have patches of reddish or yellowish brown on the
wings.
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Isoparce cupressi, the rare Cypress Sphinx, flies in Cypress swamps in Georgia (specimen type locality), and from Maryland to Texas.
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Lapara bombycoides
WO,
Northern Pine Sphinx.
If you have pines, you
might have this species.
slight possibility
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Lapara coniferarum
JS/Leon, Southern Pine Sphinx.
Forewing upperside gray with two
(sometimes one or three) black dashes near wing center;
other markings usually diffuse. Hindwing upperside is
uniform brown-gray.
If you've got pines, this species is likely present. |
Lapara coniferarum: May 5, 2006, courtesy of Joel Szymczyk.
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Manduca jasminearum
WO, Ash Sphinx.
The upperside of forewing is gray to grayish brown with a black line
running from the middle of the costa to the middle of the outer
margin; the line may be broken near the margin. There is a splash of
brown around the cell spot.
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Manduca quinquemaculata
WO,
the Five-spotted Hawkmoth.
I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter Manduca quinquemaculata.
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Manduca rustica
WO/Leon, Rustic Sphinx.
Look for three large yellow spots
on each side of the abdomen. The upperside of the forewing is
yellowish brown to deep chocolate brown with a dusting of white
scales and zigzagged black and white lines.
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Manduca sexta
WO/Leon, Carolina Sphinx.
If you grow tomatoes, you have probably encountered Manduca sexta
in the larval stage.
Larvae get very large and can strip a tomato plant.
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Paratrea plebeja
WO, Plebeian Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is gray with indistinct black and
white markings. There is a series of black dashes
from the base to the tip, and a small white cell spot.
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Sphinx chersis
WO, Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash
Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is soft dark gray to blue-gray with
a series of black dashes, one of which reaches the wing tip.
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The costal half of the forewings are grey, but the posterior portion
is a distinctive warm yellowish-brown; the boundary between these two
areas is marked with a series of dark diagonal streaks. Similar to
S. kalmiae but lacks the dark bar
along the fw inner margin. |
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Sphinx gordius
WO, Apple Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing ranges from brown with black borders
through brownish gray with paler borders to pale gray with no
borders. |
Smerinthini Tribe:
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Amorpha juglandis
WO/Leon,
Walnut Sphinx.
Highly variable; sometimes wings of an individual
may be all one color or may have several colors, ranging from pale to
dark brown, & may have a white or pink tinge. Patterns range from
faint to pronounced.
Female is different. |
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Pachysphinx modesta
WO,
Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx.
They are common on Prince Edward Island, and are
good possibility for Jackson County. |
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Paonias astylus
WO, Huckleberry Sphinx.
Flies from March-September in Florida and from
April-September in Louisiana. One brood northward from
June-August.
This appears to be an uncommon species.
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Paonias excaecata
Jackson/Leon,
Blinded Sphinx.
Named for the dull grey-blue spot (minus dark pupil) in hindwing,
wide distribution in eastern United States.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island. |
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Paonias myops
WO/Leon, Small-eyed Sphinx.
Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, wide
distribution and is probably common in Jackson County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island.
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Smerinthus jamaicensis
WO/Leon,
the Twin-spotted Sphinx.
This moth is widely distributed and fairly common.
Along the East Coast, it flies from P.E.I. to Florida. |
Macroglossinae subfamily
Dilophonotini tribe:
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Aellopos titan
WO/Leon, the Titan Sphinx.
possible stray.
Bodys dark brown with wide white stripe across abdomen.
Wings dark brown. The upperside of the hindwing has
pale patches along the costa and inner margin. |
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Enyo lugubris, Mournful Sphinx,
WO/Leon.
Body & wings dark brown. Forewing has large black
patch covering most of its outer half. Pale
tan cell spot (dark inner pupil), and fairly straight median line
to inside of cell spot.
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Erinnyis alope; Leon, Alope Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with short yellowish
streaks on the forward half and wavy yellowish bands on the rear
half.
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Erinnyis obscura, Obscure Sphinx,
WO. At night adults nectar at flowers, including bouncing bet
(Saponaria officinalis), & Asystasia gangetica beginning at dusk.
July-August are flight times in the southern states. remote possibility
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See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish
the next three species.
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Hemaris gracilis
WO, the
Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing
This day-flying moth is less common and has not been recorded in
Jackson County, but it may be present.
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Hemaris thysbe
WO/Leon, Hummingbird Clearwing.
Easy to see why many gardeners would mistake an
Hemaris thysbe moth for a small hummingbird as it hovers,
sipping nectar from flowers through a long feeding tube.
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Hemaris diffinis
WO/Leon,
Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth.Thorax golden-brown to
dark greenish-brown. Abdomen tends to be dark (black) with 1-2
yellow segments before tip.
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Philampelini tribe:
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Eumorpha achemon
JS,
Achemon Sphinx.
Larvae get large and feed on grape vines and Virginia creeper.
Note the differences between this moth and the Pandorus Sphinx. |
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Eumorpha fasciatus
WO/Leon, Banded Sphinx.
Forewing dark pinkish brown.with
lighter brown band along costa, & sharp pinkish white bands &
streaks. Larvae: Primrose-willow, Ludwigia (water primrose)
and other plants in the evening primrose family.
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Eumorpha intermedia
WO, Intermediate Sphinx.
(Eumorpha intermedia), (Wing span: 3 9/16 - 3 7/8 inches (9 - 9.8 cm)), flies in lower austral and subtropical lowlands in North Carolina, Florida,
Mississippi, Louisiana, & South Texas. posibility
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If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have
this species.
I often get asked to identify larvae from areas not
previously reported. |
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The upperside of the moth is dark pinkish brown. Each forewing has a
lighter brown band along the costa, and sharp pinkish white bands
and streaks. |
Macroglossini tribe:
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Amphion floridensis
WO/Leon,
the Nessus Sphinix.
Widely distributed day flier. If you have Virginia Creeper, you
probably have the Nessus Sphinx. Two bright, distinct, narrow yellow
bands are often visible on the abdomen.
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This species is rarely recorded in the U.S., but there are sightings
in the east from Florida, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York,
Massachusetts and
New Hampshire.
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The lower wings of this hawkmoth are a solid brownish-orange,
matching the body colour.
You will often see this species listed as Darapsa pholus,
especially in older literature. |
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Darapsa myron
JS/Leon, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx or the Grapevine Sphinx
If you have the
foodplants indicated in the common names, you probably have this
species nearby. The lower wings are orange. |
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Darapsa versicolor
WO,
Hydrangea Sphinx.
If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you might have the
Hydrangea Sphinx.
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Deidamia inscriptum
JS/Leon,
Lettered Sphinx.
Forewing outer margin deeply scalloped.
Upperside light brown with dark brown markings.
Small black & white spot near tip.
Grape (Vitis), ampelopsis (Ampelopsis), Virginia creeper
(Parthenocissus) all serve as larval hosts. |
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Hyles lineata
JS/Leon, White-lined Sphinx.
This species has strong migrating tendancies from much further south.
There are records from New Hampshire and Maine. |
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Proserpinus guarae
WO,
Proud Sphinx.
Rare & possibly endangered, flies from Texas and
Louisiana east to northern Florida, north to Alabama, Missouri,
northern Georgia, South Carolina. slight possibility
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Sphecodina abbottii
WO,
Abbott's Sphinx.
Very much under reported across the United States. Rapid day flier so is probably not in too many collections.
Grape is a popular larval host.
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Xylophanes pluto
WO, Pluto Sphinx.
Forewing upperside olive green with a paler median band
& pale lines with purple shading along them. Hindwing upperside has white spot surrounded by black at base, wide
orangish yellow median band, & brown to greenish band along
outer margin.
Head & flared thorax of larva suggest appearance of a snake.
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Xylophanes tersa
JS/Leon,
Tersa Sphinx.
This moth is much more common to the south. It is a strong migrant,
however, and is probably well established in Jackson County.
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