Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Agrius cingulata,
JL Pink-spotted hawkmoth.
Strong migrant; adults nectar from deep-throated flowers including moonflower (Calonyction aculeatum),
morning glory (Convolvulus), honey suckle (Lonicera)
and petunia (Petunia species).
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Agrius cingulata, Lilburn, nectaring at ginger, 8:45 pm September 22, 2008;
8:30pm Ocotber 12, 2008, Jim Lallement
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Ceratomia amyntor
WO,
Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx.
Forewing upperside brown with dark brown & white markings including white costal area near wing base, dark streaks along veins,
and white spot in cell.
Larvae: Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and
cherry (Prunus). |
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Ceratomia catalpae
WO,
Catalpa Sphinx.
Foerwing upperside yellowish brown with no white markings, but there are indistinct black lines & dashes. Gray cell spot 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/DeKalb/Cherokee, Waved
Sphinx.
Forewing upperside pale brownish gray with wavy black
& white lines & a black-outlined white cell spot. Lower wing
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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Lapara coniferarum
WO/DeKalb, Southern Pine Sphinx.
Forewing is gray with two
(sometimes one or three) black dashes near wing center;
other markings are usually diffuse. Hindwing is
a uniform brown-gray.
If you've got pines, this species is likely present.
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Lintneria eremitus WO,
Hermit Sphinx:
Forewing gray-brown with wavy lines, black dashes, & one or two small white
spots near the center of the costa. 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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Manduca jasminearum
WO, Ash Sphinx.
Forewing gray to grayish brown with black line
running from middle of costa to middle of outer
margin; line may be broken near margin. Splash of
brown around the cell spot.
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Manduca quinquemaculatus
WO,
Five-spotted Hawkmoth.
I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter Manduca quinquemaculata.
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Manduca rustica
WO/DeKalb, Rustic Sphinx.
Look for three large yellow spots
on each side of the abdomen. Forewing
yellowish brown to deep chocolate brown with dusting of white
scales & zigzagged black & white lines.
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Manduca sexta
WO/Cherokee, 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
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 drupiferarum
WO,
Wild Cherry Sphinx.
Forewings, long and slender, are held close to the body when the moth
is at rest.
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Sphinx franckii
WO, Franck's Sphinx Moth.
Costal half of forewings are grey, but posterior portion
is distinctive warm yellowish-brown; boundary between these two
areas marked with series of dark diagonal streaks. Similar to
S. kalmiae but lacks dark bar
along fw inner margin. |
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Sphinx kalmiae
WO, Laurel Sphinx.
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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Smerinthini Tribe:
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Amorpha juglandis
WO/DeKalb,
Walnut Sphinx.
Adults 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 white or pink tinge. Patterns range from
faint to pronounced.
See file for female; she is different.
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Paonias astylus
WO/Cherokee, Huckleberry Sphinx.
Paonias astylus flies from March-September in Florida and from
April-September in Louisiana. There is one brood northward from
June-August.
This appears to be an uncommon species.
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Paonias excaecata
WO,
Blinded Sphinx.
Named for the dull grey-blue spot (minus dark pupil) in the hindwing,
this moth has a wide distribution in the eastern United States.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida.
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Paonias myops
WO, Small-eyed Sphinx.
Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, this moth has a wide
distribution and is probably common in Wakulla County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida.
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This moth is widely distributed and fairly common.
Along the East Coast, it flies from P.E.I. to Florida.
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Macroglossinae subfamily
Dilophonotini tribe:
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Aellopos titan
WO, Titan Sphinx.
possible stray
Body dark brown with wide white stripe across abdomen.
Wings dark brown.
Upperside of hindwing has pale patches along the costa and inner margin. |
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Enyo lugubris, Mournful Sphinx,
WO possible stray
Body & wings dark brown. Forewing: large black
patch covering most of outer half of wing. Pale
tan cell spot (dark inner pupil), & fairly straight median line
to inside of cell spot.
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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
Bibb County, but it may be present. unlikely
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Hemaris thysbe
WO/DeKalb, 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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Hemaris diffinis
WO/DW/DeKalb/Cherokee,
Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth.
Adults mimic bumblebees; quite variable. Wings basically clear, with dark brown to
brownish-orange veins, bases & edges. Thorax golden-brown to
dark greenish-brown. Abdomen tends to be dark (black) with 1-2
yellow segments before tip. Look for black legs!
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Hemaris diffinis October 20, 2021, Dennis White
Philampelini tribe:
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Eumorpha achemon
WO,
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 pandorus
WO/DeKalb/Cherokee, Pandorus Sphinx.
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. |
Macroglossini tribe:
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Amphion floridensis
WO/DeKalb,
Nessus Sphinix.
Day flier; widely distributed. If you have Virginia Creeper, you
probably have Nessus Sphinx. Two bright, distinct, narrow yellow
bands are often visible on the abdomen.
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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
WO, 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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If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you might have the
Hydrangea Sphinx.
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Deidamia inscriptum
WO,
Lettered Sphinx
Forewing outer margin deeply scalloped.
Upperside light brown with dark brown markings.
Small black &d white spot near tip.
Grape (Vitis), ampelopsis (Ampelopsis), and Virginia creeper
(Parthenocissus) all serve as larval hosts.
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Hyles lineata
WO, 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 Proud Sphinx flies from Texas &
Louisiana east to northern Florida, north to Alabama, Missouri,
northern Georgia, & South Carolina. slight possibility
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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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Xylophanes tersa
WO/Hall/DeKalb,
the Tersa Sphinx
This moth is much more common to the south. It is a strong migrant,
however, and is probably well established in your area.
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