Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Agrius cingulata,
WO/Buckingham; Pink-spotted hawkmoth,
possible stray
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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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
WO/ SM/Nelson/Albemarle/Amherst/Augusta,
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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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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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/Amherst/Buckingham, 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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Lintneria eremitus WO, the
Hermit Sphinx:
The upperside of the forewing is gray-brown with wavy lines, black
dashes, and one or two small white spots near the center of the
costa. The upperside of the hindwing is black with two white bands
and a triangular black patch at the base. Note the golden hair on the
thorax.
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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. unlikely
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I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter Manduca quinquemaculata.
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Manduca rustica
WO/Albemarle, 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/SM/Nelson/Albemarle/Augusta,
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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 | 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 chersis WO, the Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx
Larval hosts are ash,
lilac, privet, cherry, and quaking aspen.
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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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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/Amherst, the
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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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/SM/Nelson/Albemarle/Buckingham,
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
WO,
the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx
They are common on Prince Edward Island,
generaly ore westerly: ?? |
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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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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. |
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Paonias myops WO/Augusta, the Small-eyed Sphinx
Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, this moth has a wide
distribution and is probably common in Frederick County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida.
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This moth is widely distributed and fairly common.
Along the East Coast, it flies from P.E.I. to Florida.
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Macroglossinae subfamily
Dilophonotini tribe:
See Hemaris comparison to help distinguish
the next three species.
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Hemaris thysbe WO/SM/Nelson/Albemarle/Augusta,
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.
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Hemaris diffinis/SM/Nelson/Albemarle, 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.
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Philampelini tribe:
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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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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.
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Macroglossini tribe:
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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/Albemarle, 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.
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If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you might have the
Hydrangea Sphinx. unlikely
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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.
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Hyles lineata WO/Albemarle, 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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This moth is much more common to the east. It is a strong migrant,
however, and might be seen as an adult stray.
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