Florence County, Wisconsin
Sphingidae

This page is inspired by and dedicated to Mike Reese who provides the Sphinx luscitiosa images above and below. Mike has a keen interest in insects and photographs many of the local species.

Thirty-five Sphingidae species are listed on the BAMONA website for Wisconsin as of June 27, 2012
. None of the species are reported reported by BAMONA as of June 27, 2012, but thirty-one are anticipated Bill Oehlke in Florence County.

It is hoped that this checklist, with the thumbnails and notes, will help you quickly identify the moths you have encountered.

A WO" after the species name indicates that I have no confirmed reports of this species in your county, but I (William Oehlke) expect that this moth is present.

Please help me develop this list with improved, documented accuracy by sending sightings (species, date, location), preferably with an image, via email to Bill Oehlke.

Please also send your sightings to BAMONA, an excellent online resource.

Edna Woodward alerted me to these images of the rarely photographed live male Sphinx luscitiosa, and photographer Mike Reese has granted me permission to post them. They are copyright protected by Mike and should not be reproduced without his permission. The male of this species nectars midday, will also imbibe juices from rotting fish, and has also been seen during twilight hours. Only the female occurs at lights, and she has not been reported nectaring during the day.

Sphinx luscitiosa male, Tie Mill Road, Florence County, Wisconsin,
nectaring on Apocynum species, 11:45am, June 24, 2012, courtesy/copyright of Mike Reese.

Sphinginae subfamily Sphingini tribe: Ceratomia amyntor WO, Elm Sphinx/Four-horned Sphinx: Forewing upperside brown with dark brown & white markings including white costal area near wing base, dark streaks along veins, & white spot in cell. Lower wing light brown & has dark brown band along outer margin. Larvae feed on Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), cherry (Prunus). Ceratomia undulosa WO, Waved Sphinx. Forewing upperside pale brownish gray with wavy black & white lines & a black-outlined white cell spot. Lower wing upperside gray with diffuse darker bands. Lapara bombycoides WO, Northern Pine Sphinx. The upperside of the forewing is gray with heavy black bands. The upperside of the hindwing is brownish gray with no markings. The underside is rather plain. Lintneria eremitus, WO, Hermit Sphinx: Fw upperside gray-brown with wavy lines, black dashes, & one or two small white spots near center of costa. Hw upperside black with two white bands & triangular black patch at base. Note golden hair on thorax. Larvae: beebalm (Monarda), mints (Mentha), bugleweed (Lycopis), sage (Salvia). Manduca quinquemaculatus WO, Five-spotted Hawkmoth. This large bodied moth flies in tobacco fields and vegetable gardens (potatoes, tomatoes) and wherever host plants are found. Sphinx canadensis WO, Canadian Sphinx uncommon, often unreported. Absence of white spot on forewing and more brownish coloration serve to separate canadensis from S. poecilus. Hw fringe tends to be white on poecilus; checkered brownish on canadensis. Larvae: white ash (Fraxinus americana), blueberry (Vaccinium). Sphinx chersis WO, Northern Ash Sphinx/Great Ash Sphinx Forewing soft dark gray to blue-gray with a series of black dashes, one of which reaches wing tip. Sphinx drupiferarum WO, Wild Cherry Sphinx. Forewing costal area in basal and median regions: light grey. This colour also appears in terminal area. Rest of wing dark slatey grey. Sphinx gordius WO, Apple Sphinx: Colouration & markings highly variable from one specimen to another. Fw fringes mostly black with some white; those on hindwing mostly white with few black patches. Fw upperside ranges from brown with black borders through brownish gray with paler borders to pale gray with no borders. Dashes, submarginal line, & cell spot are usually weak. Sphinx kalmiae WO, Laurel Sphinx. Lower forewings predominantly brownish-yellow with fairly wide dark bar along inner margin. At rest wings hug body, giving moth a long slender look. Sphinx luscitiosa MR, Canadian Sphinx/Clemen's Sphinx. Forewing yellowish gray in males & pale gray with faint yellow tint in females. In both sexes, dark border on outer margin widens as it approaches inner margin. Hindwing deep yellow in males, pale yellow in females; both with wide black border. Sphinx luscitiosa male, Tie Mill Road, June 24, 2012, Mike Reese. Sphinx poecila, WO, Poecila Sphinx. If you have blueberries in the woods, then you probably have the Poecila Sphinx. Probably widespread throughout Wisconsin, but are very much under reported. Sphinx vashti WO, Snowberry Sphinx. Forewing:narrow black subterminal line bordered by white inverted V-shaped line on outside, & black line running inwards from wing apex. Most often found in montane woodlands and along streamcourses. Smerinthini Tribe: 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. Patterns range from faint to pronounced. Pachysphinx modesta AC, Modest Sphinx/Poplar Sphinx. This large poplar/willow feeder is likely present. They are a heavy bodied species. Paonias excaecata AC, Blinded Sphinx, Forewing outer margin quite wavy. Dark cell spot & dark oblique line mid wing from costa almost to inner margin. Basic ground colour pinkish brown. Flight: June-July. Paonias myops WO, Small-eyed Sphinx. Both sexes rest with wings parallel to resting surface, with upper lobes of hindwings protruding above forewings. Ranges across North America. The hindwings have small blue eyespot ringed with black on yellow background. Smerinthus cerisyi WO, Cerisyi's Sphinx/One-eyed Sphinx, Larvae feed on poplars and willows. Flight would be from late May-July as a single brood. Smerinthus jamaicensis WO, Twin-spotted Sphinx: Closely resembles cerisyi, but jamaicensis smaller with larger blue patches on more vibrant/deeper purple in hws. Note complete (outer margin to outer margin) off-white arc just below fw apex. In cerisyi, lower portion of arc does not return to outer margin. Macroglossinae subfamily Dilophonotini Tribe: See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish the next three species. Hemaris aethra Note large orangey-brown forewing apical patch. In very similar H. diffinis patch is smaller. On average H. aethra, compared to H. diffinis, tends to be slightly larger, with more orangey-yellow tone, less tapering (top to bottom) of dark thorax/abdominal region; more red nr hw anal angle. possibly limited to northern Wisconsin. Hemaris diffinis WO, the Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth, The moth flies along forest edges and in meadows, gardens and brushy fields. Day-flying adults nectar at lantana, dwarf bush honeysuckle, snowberry, orange hawkweed, thistles, lilac, Canada violet, etc. Hemaris gracilis WO, Slender Clearwing/ Graceful Clearwing. Diurnal, most often seen nectaring during the day at flowers. Note smooth inner edge of burgundy forewing outer margin and reddish upper surface of the legs. Hemaris thysbe WO, Hummingbird Clearwing. Not difficult to see why many gardeners would mistake an this moth for a small hummingbird as it hovers, sipping nectar from flowers through a long feeding tube. Philampelini Tribe: Eumorpha achemon WO, Achemon Sphinx. Note the differences between this moth and the Pandorus Sphinx. unlikely, further south in Wisconsin Eumorpha pandorus WO, Pandorus Sphinx. If you have Grape/Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have them. I often get asked to identify larvae from areas where they have not previously been reported. unlikely, further south in Wisconsin Macroglossini Tribe: Amphion floridensis WO, Nessus Sphinix. Widely distributed day flier. If you have Virginia Creeper, you probably have Nessus Sphinx. Two bright, distinct, narrow yellow bands are often visible on the abdomen. Darapsa choerilus, WO, Azalea Sphinx. You will often see this species listed as Darapsa pholus, especially in older literature. Darapsa myron WO, Virginia Creeper Sphinx/ Grapevine Sphinx: Fw dark brown to pale yellowish gray, with an olive tint, often more green than described. Costal margin has dark rectangular patch, although this may be reduced or absent. Hw pale orange. Hyles euphorbiae WO, Spurge Hawk Moth. Body light brown with various white & dark brown markings, while wings have aconspicuous tan, brown, & pink or red color pattern. If this introduced species has not yet established a presence, I expect it will shortly. Hyles gallii WO, Bedstraw Hawk Moth/ Gallium Sphinx. Dark brown with slightly irregular cream-coloured transverse line. Outer margin grey. Bright pink band on the hindwing. Larvae are fond of Epilobium. Hyles lineata WO, White-lined Sphinx. Adults usually fly at dusk, during the night, and at dawn, but they also fly during the day over wide variety of open habitats including deserts, suburbs, gardens. Sphecodina abbottii WO, Abbott's Sphinx: Adults are said to mimic bumblebees and make a buzzing sound when feeding. The wing margins are scalloped. The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with light brown bands and markings. The upperside of the hindwing is yellow with a wide black outer margin.

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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.

Enjoy some of nature's wonderments: Saturniidae cocoons. Cocoons of these giant silkmoths are for sale in fall and winter. Large, beautiful moths emerge in the spring and summer.

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