Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth
Hemaris thysbe
hee-MAGH-rihsmm
THIHS-bee
(Fabricius, 1775) Sesia thysbe
Hemaris thysbe, Endwell, Broome County, New York,
Hummingbird Clearwing, July 20, 2008, courtesy of Cindi Girard.
Hemaris thysbe, Endwell, Broome County, New York,
Hummingbird Clearwing, July 20, 2008, courtesy of Cindi Girard.
Hemaris thysbe, Endwell, Broome County, New York,
Hummingbird Clearwing, July 20, 2008, courtesy of Cindi Girard.
Cindi Girard writes, "Hi...I'm a friend of Colleen Wolpert's...I'm going to send you a few photos from my garden this summer. I'm now wondering if I had the Slender Clearwing in my
garden...I live in Endwell, NY Broome County. Thank you."
Note the variability of the two Hemaris thysbe images above. The lower image shows a reddish cast to the legs and a redder abdomen, both characteristics
more typical of the Slender Clearwing, H. gracilis, which Cindi mentions.
However, the absence of a red bar on the side of the thorax, and the presence of an irregular inner side of the forewing burgundy outer margin, indicate
Hemaris thysbe. Identifications can be tricky.
Another note regarding the distinction between thysbe and gracilis: In H. thysbe, the greenish "fur" of the thorax continues to the sides and meets the thin black line
that runs through the eye. In H. gracilis, the greenish "fur" does not extend below the wing juncture with the body. Instead there is a whitish band followed by the
characteristic red band along the side of the abdomen.
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, Latreille, 1802
Subfamily: Macroglossinae, Harris, 1839
Tribe: Dilophonotini, Burmeister, 1878
Genus: Hemaris (Dalman, 1816) was Sesia...........
Species: thysbe (Fabricius, 1775)
|
MIDI MUSIC
.....It's a Wonderful World.....
copyright C. Odenkirk
ON.OFF
<![CDATA[<bgsound src="world.mid" LOOP=FOREVER>]]>
|
Use your browser "Back" button to return to the previous page.
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, giant silk moth cocoons. Cocoons of the local Saturniidae
are sold and shipped while in a dormant state in the fall and winter. Beautiful giant silk moths emerge in spring and summer. Online help is available.