Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Agrius cingulata,
WO/Kanawha Pink-spotted hawkmoth,
stray.
Strong migrant; adults nectar from
deep-throated flowers including moonflower (Calonyction aculeatum),
morning glory (Convolvulus), honey suckle (Lonicera), petunia.
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Ceratomia amyntor
WO/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha
Summers,
Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx.
Forewing brown with dark brown & 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/Fayettee/Boone/Kanawha/Summers
Catalpa Sphinx.
Forewing: yellowish brown with no white markings, indistinct black lines and dashes. Cell spot gray with black outline. Larvae feed in large groups;
much more spectacular than moths. Catalpa is the larval host. |
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Ceratomia undulosa
WO/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha/Summers
Waved Sphinx.
Forewing pale brownish gray with wavy black & white lines & black-outlined white cell spot. Hindwing gray with diffuse darker bands. |
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Dolba hyloeus
WO/Boone/Kanawha 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/Boone/Greenbrier/Raleigh/Summers,
Southern Pine Sphinx. Forewing gray with two
(sometimes one or three) black dashes near wing center; other markings are usually diffuse. Hindwing uniform brown-gray.
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Lintneria eremitus WO,
Hermit Sphinx.
Forewing gray-brown with wavy lines, black
dashes, one or two small white spots near costa center.
Hindwing black with two white bands
& triangular black patch at base. Note golden hair on
thorax. |
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Manduca jasminearum
WO/Boone/KanawhaSummers, 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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I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter Manduca quinquemaculata.
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Manduca rustica
WO, 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/Boone/KanawhaSummers, Carolina Sphinx.
If you grow tomatoes, you have probably encountered Manduca sexta in larval stage.
Larvae get very large and can strip a tomato plant. |
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Paratrea plebeja
WO/Boone, 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 chersis WO, the Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx
Larval hosts are ash,
lilac, privet, cherry, and quaking aspen.
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Sphinx drupiferarum
WO/Kanawha,
Wild Cherry Sphinx. We have them on P.E.I., but I do not see them nearly as frequently
as I see the other Sphingidae. |
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Sphinx franckii
WO/Boone, Franck's Sphinx Moth
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/Boone/Greenbrier,
Apple SphinxThe upperside of the forewing ranges from brown with
black borders through brownish gray with paler borders to pale gray
with no borders. Dashes, submarginal line, and cell spot are usually
weak.
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Sphinx kalmiae
WO/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha, 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/Greenbrier/Kanawha,
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, and may have a white or pink tinge. Patterns range from
faint to pronounced.
See the file for the female; she is different. |
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Pachysphinx modesta
WO??,
Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx
They are common on Prince Edward Island, but are
unlikely for Fayrtte and nearby counties. |
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Paonias astylus
WO/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha, 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/Fayettee/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha/
Summers/Raleigh, Blinded Sphinx.
Named for dull grey-blue spot (minus dark pupil) in hindwing, wide distribution in eastern United States.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, reported
as far south as Florida. |
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Paonias myops WO/Boone/Greenbrier/
Kanawha/Summers/Raleigh, Small-eyed Sphinx.
Named for the small eye-spot in hindwing, wide
distribution; probably common in Fayette County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island; reported
as far south as Florida.
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Smerinthus jamaicensis
WO/Greenbrier/Summers,
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:
See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish
the next three species.
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Hemaris thysbe WO/Fayette/GreenbrierRaleigh,
Hummingbird Clearwing.
Not difficult to see why many gardeners would mistake an
Hemaris thysbe moth for small hummingbird hovering,
sipping nectar from flowers through long feeding tube.
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Hemaris diffinis WO/Fayette/Kanawha,
Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth.
Adults mimic bumblebees; quite variable. Wings are 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.
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Hemaris gracilis WO,
Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing.
Day-flying moth, less common; has not been recorded in
West Virginia, but has been seen in southern N.J. &
in eastern South Carolina & Florida. unlikely
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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/Fayette/Boone/Clay/Greenbrier/
Kanawha/Raleigh/Summers
Pandorus Sphinx.
If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have
this species.
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Macroglossini tribe:
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Amphion floridensis
WO/Fayette/Boone/KanawhaSummers,
Nessus Sphinix,
Day flier, widely distributed. 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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Darapsa choerilus
WO/Boone/Greenbrier, Azalea Sphinx
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/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha,
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/PS for Fayettee/Boone/Greenbrier/Kanawha,
Hydrangea Sphinx.
If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you should have the
Hydrangea Sphinx. |
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Deidamia inscriptum
WO/Boone/Greenbrier,
Lettered Sphinx.
Forewing outer margin deeply scalloped.
Upperside light brown with dark brown markings.
Small black & white spot near tip.
Grape (Vitis), ampelopsis (Ampelopsis), and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus) all serve as larval hosts. |
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Hyles lineata WO/Kanawha, the 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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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/Boone/Kanawha,
Tersa Sphinx.
Much more common to the south. It is a strong migrant, however, and may establish itself in Fayette County periodically.
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