Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Ceratomia amyntor
USGS,
the Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is brown with dark brown and white markings including a white costal area near the
wing base, dark streaks along the veins, and a white spot in the cell.
Larvae feed on Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and
cherry (Prunus). |
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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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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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 | The upperside of the forewing is gray with heavy black bands. The upperside of
the hindwing is brownish gray with no markings.
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This moth is reported from Albany, and it is widely reported in
New Jersey and along the coast in Connecticut and Masachusetts.
If you've got pines, this species is likely present. |
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Manduca quinquemaculata
USGS,
the Five-spotted Hawkmoth,
The moth abdomen usually has five but sometimes six pairs of
yellow bands. The upperside of the forewing is blurry brown and
gray. The upperside of the hindwing is banded with brown and white
and has two well-separated median zigzag bands.
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If you grow tomatoes, you have probably encountered Manduca sexta
in the larval stage.
Larvae get very large and can strip a tomato plant.
generally a more southerly species
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Sphinx canadensis
WO,
Sphinx canadensis, the Canadian Sphinx, is not common, and is not
often reported anywhere, but it might possibly be present in
Albany County.
Larval hosts are white ash (Fraxinus americana) and blueberry
(Vaccinium).
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Sphinx chersis
USGS, the 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. The upperside of the hindwing is black with blurry pale gray bands.
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Forewings, long and slender, are held close to the body when the
moth is at rest.
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The upperside of the forewing is gray-brown with wavy lines,
black dashes, and one or two small white spots near the center of
the costa. The upperside of the hindwing is black with two white
bands and a triangular black patch at the base. Note the golden hair
on the thorax.
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The lower forewings are predominantly brownish-yellow with a fairly
wide dark bar along the inner margin. At rest the wings hug the
body, giving the moth a long slender look.
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Sphinx luscitiosa
USGS,
the Canadian Sphinx or Clemen's Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is yellowish gray in males and pale gray with a faint yellow tint in females. In both sexes, the dark border on the outer margin
widens as it approaches the inner margin.
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If you have blueberries in the woods, then you probably have the
Poecila Sphinx.
They are pretty common here on Prince Edward Island, and
I suspect would be present around blueberry fields in Albany County. |
Smerinthini Tribe:
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Amorpha juglandis
WO, the Walnut Sphinx
The adults are also highly variable; sometimes wings of an individual may be all one color or may have several colors, ranging from pale to dark brown,
and may have a white or pink tinge.
This is the first Sphinx species I reared as a boy in New Jersey.
See the file for the female; she is different. |
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Pachysphinx modesta
USGS,
the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx
This moth has a large, heavy body, and females can be remarkably plump.
They are common on Prince Edward Island. I rear some almost every year. |
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Named for the dull grey-blue spot (minus dark pupil) in the hindwing,
this moth has a wide distribution and is probably common in
Albany County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida. |
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Paonias myops
USGS, the Small-eyed Sphinx
Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, this moth has a wide
distribution and is probably common in Albany County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida.
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Smerinthus cerisyi
USGS, the Cerisyi's Sphinx
Smerinthus cerisyi, the one-eyed sphinx or Cerisyi's sphinx, (wingspan approximately 95mm) closely resembles Smerinthus jamaicensis, and
in northern regions the two species overlap. This is a very easy Sphinx to rear.
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Smerinthus jamaicensis closely resembles Smerinthus cerisyi, but jamaicensis is much smaller with larger blue patches on more
vibrant and deeper purple in the lower wings.
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Macroglossinae subfamily
Dilophonotini tribe:
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The body is reddish brown with a wide white band across the abdomen.
The forewing upperside is reddish brown with a black cell spot and 3
white spots near the gray marginal area. A pale streak runs from
the cell spot to the inner margin of the wing.
possible rare stray
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See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish
the next three species.
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Hemaris diffinis
USGS, the Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee
Moth
Adults mimic bumblebees and are quite variable, both geographically
and seasonally. The wings are basically clear, with dark brown to
brownish-orange veins, bases and edges.
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Hemaris gracilis
USGS, the
Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing
Hemaris gracilis is distinguished from similar species by a pair of
red-brown bands on the undersides of the thorax, which varies from
green to yellow-green dorsally and sometimes brown with white
underneath. They have a red abdomen.
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Hemaris thysbe
USGS, the Hummingbird Clearwing
It is not difficult 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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Philampelini tribe:
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This moth is not reported for Albany, but it is fairly often reported
along the coast from southern New Jersey
to central Maine so may be present.
Note the differences between this moth and the Pandorus Sphinx. |
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If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you might have
this species.
I often get asked to identify larvae from areas not
previously reported. |
Macroglossini tribe:
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This day flier is widely distributed. The adult Nessus sphinx,
which flies during the day and at dusk, has two bright yellow bands
on the tufted abdomen.
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They are common in New Jersey and common
here on Prince Edward Island.
You will often see this species listed as Darapsa pholus,
especially in older literature. |
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Darapsa myron
USGS, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx or the
Grapevine Sphinx
It is widely reported as far north as southern Maine. If you have the
foodplants indicated in the common names, you probably have this
species nearby. |
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If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you may have the
Hydrangea Sphinx.
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This species has been recorded in southeastern New York,
and in western Massachusetts so might be present. It is
generally absent to the north so would be uncommon, although
I have reports from Ontario, Canada. |
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Hyles gallii
USGS, the Bedstraw Hawk Moth
or Gallium Sphinx
Hyles gallii ranges coast to coast in Canada (into the Yukon) and
southward along the Rocky Mountains into Mexico. It is also widely
distributed throughout Europe and Asia.
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Hyles lineata
WO, the White-lined Sphinx
The forewing upperside is dark olive brown with paler brown
along the costa and outer margin, a narrow tan band running from
the wing tip to the base, and white streaks along the veins.
generally more southerly |
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This moth is very much under reported across the United States. It
is a rapid day flier so is probably not in too many collections.
Grape is a popular larval host.
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