Hemaris senta photo courtesy of Dona Hilkey,
Rio Blanco County, Colorado at 7500 ft, May 23, 2004.

This site has been created by Bill Oehlke at oehlkew@islandtelecom.com
Comments, suggestions and/or additional information are welcomed by Bill.

TAXONOMY: Family: Sphingidae Subfamily: Macroglossinae Tribe: Dilophonotini Genus: Hemaris (Dalman, 1816) ........... Species: senta [Strecker, 1878]

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DISTRIBUTION:

The California Clearwing or Rocky Mountain Clearwing Moth (Wing span: 1 3/8 - 2 inches (3.5 - 5 cm)) flies in Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah, and west to California and north to British Columbia These moths are diurnal.

California clearwings have brownish-olive or olive-green heads and thoraxes. The abdomen, which has a broad yellow band, is black or olive-green above and yellow below. Their wings have a very narrow brown border and the clear parts of the wings have a steel-blue luster. The scaled areas of wings range from dark brown to light brownish orange. Each wing has a large transparent patch which covers most of the wing surface. The forewing cell lacks dark scales.

FLIGHT TIMES:

There is probably a single brood of this montane species from May-August. The moth is seen along streamsides and in meadows in mountainous areas. Adult like to nectar from flowers including kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) in the heath family, and lupines (Lupinus) in the pea family.

ECLOSION:

Larvae pupate in thin walled cocoons under leaf litter.

SCENTING AND MATING:

Females call in the males with a pheromone released from a gland at the tip of the abdomen.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:

Females feed and lay eggs on the underside of new leaves during the day.

Larval foods are probably snowberry (Symphoricarpos species.

Pupation is in a very flimsy cocoon at ground surface. The inch long pupa is brown.

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