Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Agrius cingulata, USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; Pink-spotted Hawk Moth.
This species is a strong migrant and 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, Panama City, Bay County, October 5, 2008, Pam Overmyer.
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Ceratomia amyntor WO,
the Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is brown with dark brown and white markings including a white costal area near the wing base, dark streaks along the veins,
and a white spot in the cell.
Larvae feed on Elm (Ulmus), birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and
cherry (Prunus). |
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Ceratomia catalpae
USGS/Okaloosa, the Catalpa Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is yellowish brown with no white markings, but there are indistinct black lines and dashes. The cell spot is gray with a black outline. The larvae feed in large groups and are much more
spectacular than the moths.
Catalpa is the larval host. |
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Ceratomia undulosa
USGS, the Waved Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing is pale brownish gray with wavy black
and white lines and a black-outlined white cell spot. The upperside
of the hindwing is gray with diffuse darker bands. |
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Dolba hyloeus
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; the 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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Isoparce cupressi
USGS, the Cypress or Baldcypress Sphinx.
Isoparce cupressi, the rare Cypress Sphinx, flies in Cypress swamps in Georgia (specimen type locality), and from Maryland to Texas.
It has been reported in Mexico.
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Lapara coniferarum
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; the Southern Pine Sphinx.
The upperside is of the forewing is gray with two
(sometimes one or three) black dashes near the wing center;
other markings are usually diffuse. The upperside of the hindwing is
a uniform brown-gray.
If you've got pines, this species is likely present. |
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The upperside of the forewing is charcoal gray to brownish gray with white scales along the curving postmedial
line and a prominent black dash (sometimes two) near the center of the wing.
The upperside of the hindwing is uniform charcoal gray to brownish gray with no white scales or markings.
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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
USGS/Santa Rosa; the 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/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; the 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
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; the Plebeian Sphinx.
The upperside of the 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 franckii
WO, 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, the Apple Sphinx.
The upperside of the forewing ranges from brown with black borders
through brownish gray with paler borders to pale gray with no
borders. |
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Sphinx kalmiae
WO/Okaloosa; the 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
USGS, 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.
See the file for the female; she is different. |
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Pachysphinx modesta
USGS, the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx.
They are common on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada and the range extends into Florida. |
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Paonias astylus
WO, 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
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa;,
the 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. |
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Paonias myops
USGS, the Small-eyed Sphinx
Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, this moth has a wide
distribution and is probably common in Jackson County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island.
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Smerinthus jamaicensis
USGS, 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:
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Aellopos titan WO, Titan Sphinx.
possible stray.
Body dark brown with wide white stripe across abdomen.
Wings dark brown. Very similar to above species, but the
upperside of hindwing has
pale patches along costa and inner margin. |
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Enyo lugubris, Mournful Sphinx,
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa;.
Body & wings dark brown. Forewing has large black
patch covering most of outer half of wing. Pale
tan cell spot (dark inner pupil), and fairly straight median line
to inside of cell spot.
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Erinnyis alope
WO, Alope Sphinx.
Forewing upperside is dark brown with short yellowish
streaks on the forward half and wavy yellowish bands on the rear half.
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Erinnyis ello USGS/Santa Rosa; Ello Sphinx:
This species is sporadically reported in Florida counties.
Lower wings orange with broad grey-brown band along outer margin. Males and females differ.
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Erinnyis obscura, the Obscure Sphinx,
USGS.
At night adults nectar at flowers, including bouncing bet
(Saponaria officinalis) and Asystasia gangetica beginning at dusk.
July-August are flight times in the southern states. remote possibility
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See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish
the next three species.
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Hemaris gracilis
WO, Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing.
Day-flying moth less common and has not been recorded in
Escambia County, but it may be present.
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Hemaris thysbe
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; Hummingbird Clearwing.
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
USGS,
Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth.
Adults mimic bumblebees, quite variable. Wings basically clear, with dark brown to
brownish-orange veins, bases and 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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Philampelini tribe:
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Eumorpha achemon
WO, the 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 fasciatus
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; Banded Sphinx.
Upperside dark pinkish brown. Each forewing has
lighter brown band along costa, sharp pinkish white bands and
streaks. Larvae feed upon primrose-willow, Ludwigia (water primrose)
and other plants in the evening primrose family.
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Eumorpha intermedia
WO, the Intermediate Sphinx.
The Intermediate Sphinx Moth, (Eumorpha intermedia), (Wing span: 3 9/16 - 3 7/8 inches (9 - 9.8 cm)), flies in lower austral and subtropical lowlands
in North Carolina, Florida,
Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Texas.
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Eumorpha pandorus
USGS/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; 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, Nessus Sphinix.
This day flier is 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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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/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa, Virginia Creeper Sphinx or 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
USGS,
the Hydrangea Sphinx.
If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you might have the
Hydrangea Sphinx.
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Deidamia inscriptum
USGS/Okaloosa, the Lettered Sphinx.
Mth's forewing outer margin deeply scalloped.
Upperside is light brown with dark brown markings.
Small black and white spot near tip.
Grape (Vitis), ampelopsis (Ampelopsis), Virginia creeper
(Parthenocissus) all serve as larval hosts. |
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Hyles lineata
USGS/Santa Rosa; 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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Proserpinus guarae USGS, the Proud Sphinx.
Rare and possibly endangered, flies from Texas and
Louisiana east to northern Florida, north to Alabama, Missouri,
northern Georgia, and South Carolina. slight possibility
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Sphecodina abbottii
WO/Okaloosa;
the Abbott's Sphinx. 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/Santa Rosa/Okaloosa; the Tersa Sphinx.
This moth is much more common to the south. It is a strong migrant,
however, and is probably well established in these counties.
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