Meg Benhase of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, sent me a series of beautiful images of a freshly emerged Sphinx chersis moth that had climbed an olive tree to hang and inflate its wings.

When the moth first break forth from its pupal shell, the wings are short, little, wrinkled, limp stubs hanging from the abdomen. The insect must climb and hang so that the body can properly pump fluids into the wing veins to expand the attachments properly. The entire process often takes less than an hour.

Once the wings are fully inflated, the moth assumes a "normal" resting pose as illustrated in the last three photos. The fluid in the veins hardens and the wings are ready to support the relatively large body in flight.

Sections of the coiled feeding tube or proboscis can be seen under the head in the sixth image.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

Sphinx chersis, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, July 25, 2009, courtesy of Meg Benhase.

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: Sphinginae, Latreille, 1802 Tribe: Sphingini, Latreille, 1802 Genus: Sphinx Linnaeus, 1758 ........... Species: chersis chersis Hubner, [1823]

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