Reno County, Kansas and Nearby Counties:
Kingman; Pratt; Rice; Sedgwick; Stafford
Sphingidae

This page is inspired by and dedicated to Terry Henricks who provides the Eumorpha achemon image at top of this page.

Twenty-seven Sphingidae species are listed for Kansas on the U.S.G.S. website (now BAMONA). Five of the species are officially recorded in Reno County in southeastern Kansas on BAMONA as of May 30, 2020: Pachysphinx modesta; Manduca sexta; Paonias excaecata; Agrius cingulata; Hyles lineata.

It is hoped that this checklist, with the thumbnails and notes, will help you quickly identify the moths you are likely to encounter.

I have added some species that were not recorded on the BAMONA list. There are some species on the BAMONA list that probably only occur as rare strays. I have included them, but it is unlikely you will encounter them: Manduca albiplaga = White-plagued sphinx; Aellopos titan = Titan sphinx; Erinnyis alope = Alope sphinx; Enyo lugubris = Mournful sphinx.

A "WO" indicates the moth is not reported on the BAMONA website, but I (William Oehlke) suspect it is likely present.

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

Although this page is inspired by a submission from Terry Hendricks from Reno County, the checklist is also valid for nearby counties:

Sedgwick: Agrius cingulata; Ceratomia amyntor; Ceratomia hageni; Pachysphinx modesta; Paonias excaecata; Hemaris diffinis; Erinnyis obscura; Eumorpha pandorus; Eumorpha achemon; Amphion floridensis; Darapsa myron; Hyles lineata;
Stafford: Agrius cingulata; Ceratomia amyntor; Ceratomia catalpae; Ceratomia hageni; Manduca quinquemaculata; Manduca sexta; Sphinx drupiferarum; Pachysphinx modesta; Smerinthus jamaicensis; Erinnyis obscura; Hyles lineata;
Rice: Hyles lineata;
Kingman: none reported on BAMONA as of May 30, 2020;
Pratt: none reported on BAMONA as of May 30, 2020.

Sphinginae subfamily Sphingini tribe: Agrius cingulata, Reno/Sedgwick/Stafford; Pink-spotted hawkmoth, 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). rare stray Ceratomia amyntor Sedgwick/Stafford; 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). Ceratomia catalpae Stafford; 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. Ceratomia hageni Sedgwick/Stafford; Hagen's Sphinx or Osage Orange Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is gray with a green tint and has dark indistinct wavy lines, and pale gray patches at the wing tip and along the costa. Ceratomia undulosa Sedgwick 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. Lintneria eremitoides WO, the Sage Sphinx Moth The upperside of the forewing is pale gray with a yellowish tint, wavy black lines and dashes, and inconspicuous white spots. Manduca albiplaga: extremely rare stray in US, seen only once in US: Kansas; the White-plagued Sphinx Large white apical patch in upper half of postmedian area from outside of pm line to apex; another large white patch from costa to inner margin just outside the basal area. Two white areas not contiuous as in rustica. Manduca quinquemaculatus Stafford;, the Five-spotted Hawkmoth I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter Manduca quinquemaculatus. Manduca sexta Reno/Stafford;, 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. Paratrea plebeja WO, 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. Sphinx chersis WO, the Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx This species is probably present in Cowley County. Larval hosts are ash, lilac, privet, cherry, and quaking aspen. Sphinx drupiferarum Stafford;, the Wild Cherry Sphinx This species is not officially recorded, but I suspect it is present. We have them on P.E.I., but I do not see them nearly as frequently as I see the other Sphingidae. Sphinx vashti WO, the Snowberry Sphinx The upperside of the forewing has a narrow black subterminal line bordered by a white inverted V-shaped line on the outside, and a black line running inwards from the apex of the wing. It is 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. See the file for the female; she is different. Pachysphinx modesta Reno/Sedgwick/Stafford;, the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx They are common on Prince Edward Island, but are not often reported in kansas. Paonias excaecata Reno/Sedgwick, 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, and they are reported as far south as Florida. Paonias myops WO, the Small-eyed Sphinx This small species is probably widespread and common. This species ranges across North America. The hindwings have a small blue eyespot ringed with black on a yellow background. Smerinthus jamaicensis Stafford; the Twin-spotted Sphinx This moth is widely distributed and fairly common in much of its range. Along the East Coast, it flies from P.E.I. to Florida. Macroglossinae subfamily Dilophonotini tribe: Aellopos titan unlikely stray, the Titan Sphinx. The body is dark brown with a wide white stripe across the abdomen. The wings are dark brown. It is very similar to above species, but the upperside of the hindwing has pale patches along the costa and inner margin. rare stray into Kansas; generally much more southerly Enyo lugubris, the Mournful Sphinx, unlikely stray The body and wings are dark brown. The forewing has a large black patch covering most of the outer half of the wing. There is a pale tan cell spot (dark inner pupil), and a fairly straight median line to the inside of the cell spot. rare stray into Kansas; generally much more southerly Erinnyis alope unlikely stray, the Alope Sphinx, stray The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with short yellowish streaks on the forward half and wavy yellowish bands on the rear half. rare stray into Kansas; generally much more southerly Erinnyis obscura, the Obscure Sphinx, Sedgwick/Stafford; During the night adults nectar at flowers, including bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis) and Asystasia gangetica beginning at dusk. July and August are flight times in the southern states. unlikely, but possible stray Hemaris diffinis Sedgwick, the Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth Adults mimic bumblebees and are quite variable. The wings are basically clear, with dark brown to brownish-orange veins, bases and edges. The thorax is golden-brown to dark greenish-brown. The abdomen tends to be dark (black) with 1-2 yellow segments before the tip. Hemaris thysbe WO, the Hummingbird Clearwing It is 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. Philampelini tribe: Eumorpha achemon Reno; TH/Sedgwick, the Achemon Sphinx Larvae get large and feed on grape vines and Virginia creeper. Note the differences between this moth and the Pandorus Sphinx. Eumorpha achemon, South Hutchinson, May 30, 2020, Terry Hutchinson. Eumorpha pandorus Sedgwick, the 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: Amphion floridensis Sedgwick, the 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. Darapsa myron Sedgwick, the 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. Deidamia inscriptum WO? generally more easterly, the Lettered Sphinx The moth's outer margin of the forewing is deeply scalloped. The upperside is light brown with dark brown markings. There is a small black and white spot near the tip. Grape (Vitis), ampelopsis (Ampelopsis), and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus) all serve as larval hosts. Hyles lineata the White-lined Sphinx; Sedgwick/Stafford/Rice; This species has strong migrating tendancies from much further south. There are records from New Hampshire and Maine. Proserpinus juanita WO, the Juanita Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is pale gray-green with a deep green-brown median area and a white dash at the wing tip. Sphecodina abbottii WO? generally more easterly, the Abbott's Sphinx 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. Xylophanes tersa WO, the Tersa Sphinx The upperside of the forewing is pale brown with lavender-gray at the base and has dark brown lengthwise lines throughout. This moth is a strong migrant.

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Eggs of many North American species are offered during the spring and summer. Occasionally summer Actias luna and summer Antheraea polyphemus cocoons are available. Shipping to US destinations is done from with in the US.

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