Sphinginae subfamily
Sphingini tribe:
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Ceratomia amyntor,
The Elm Sphinx or Four-horned Sphinx,
WO,
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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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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The upperside of the forewing is gray with heavy black bands. The
upperside of the hindwing is brownish gray with no markings.
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| 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.
Larval hosts are various species of beebalm (Monarda), mints (Mentha),
bugleweed (Lycopis) and sage (Salvia). |
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Manduca quinquemaculatus
WO,
the Five-spotted Hawkmoth
The moth abdomen usually has five but sometimes six pairs of yellow
bands. The upperside of the forewing is blurry brown and gray.
I suspect if you grow tomatoes, you are likely to encounter it.
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The abdomen usually has six pairs of yellow bands, broken across the
back. The sixth set of markings is quite small.
The upperside of the forewing has indistinct black, brown, and
white markings.
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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 canadensis
USGS,
Sphinx canadensis, the Canadian Sphinx, is not common, and is not
often reported anywhere,
but it is reported in Lackawanna County.
Larval hosts are white ash (Fraxinus americana) and blueberry
(Vaccinium).
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Sphinx chersis
WO,
the Northern Ash Sphinx or Great Ash Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is soft dark gray to blue-gray with
a series of black dashes, one of which reaches the wing tip.
Larval hosts are ash, lilac, privet, cherry, and quaking aspen.
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Forewings, long and slender, are held close to the body when the
moth is at rest. Larvae are beautiful and feed on cherry foliage.
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The 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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Sphinx luscitiosa
WO,
the Canadian Sphinx or
Clemen's Sphinx
The upperside of the forewing is yellowish gray in males and pale
gray with a faint yellow tint in females. In both sexes, the dark
border on the outer margin widens as it approaches the inner margin.
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If you have blueberries in the woods, then you probably have the Poecila Sphinx.
They are pretty common here on Prince Edward Island, but don't fly
too far south of Massachusetts, being replaced by Sphinx gordius
in Connecticut. possibility in northern PA |
Smerinthini Tribe:
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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.
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Pachysphinx modesta
WO,
the Modest Sphinx or Poplar Sphinx
This moth has a large, heavy body, and females can be remarkably
plump.
Larvae are fond of poplars and willows.
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WO, the Huckleberry Sphinx
This appears to be an uncommon species but may be present in Lackawanna
County.
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Named for the dull grey-blue spot (minus dark pupil) in the hindwing,
this moth has a wide distribution and is probably common in Lackawanna
County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida. |
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Named for the small eye-spot in the hindwing, this moth has a wide
distribution and is probably common in Lackawanna County.
I regularly see them on Prince Edward Island, and they are reported
as far south as Florida.
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At my home in Montague, P.E.I., Canada, they are quite common.
I expect they might also be present in Lacawanna County, but that would be near southern range border in
PA. |
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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
USGS/CS, 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 thysbe, Jefferson Township, July 17, 2010, Cathy Strackbein.
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Hemaris diffinis
WO, the
Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth
Adults mimic bumblebees and are quite variable, both geographically
and seasonally. The thorax is golden-brown to
dark greenish-brown. The abdomen tends to be dark (black) with
1-2 yellow segments just before the terminal end.
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Hemaris gracilis
USGS, the
Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing
Hemaris gracilis is distinguished from similar species by a pair of
red-brown bands on the undersides of the thorax, which varies from
green to yellow-green dorsally and sometimes brown with white
underneath. They have a red abdomen. unlikely
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Philampelini tribe:
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Adults nectar from flowers of Japanese honeysuckle
(Lonicera japonica), petunia (Petunia hybrida), mock
orange (Philadelphus coronarius), and phlox (Phlox).
If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have
this species.
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If you have Grape or Virginia Creeper nearby, then you probably have
this species.
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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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They are common in Pennsylvania and common
here on Prince Edward Island.
You will often see this species listed as Darapsa pholus,
especially in older literature. Hindwings are the same colour as the abdomen.
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Darapsa myron
WO, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx or the
Grapevine Sphinx
The forewing upperside is dark brown to pale yellowish gray, with an
olive tint. On the costal margin there is a dark rectangular patch,
although this may be reduced or absent. The upperside of the hindwing
is pale orange.
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If you have hydrangea growing near a stream, then you may have the
Hydrangea Sphinx. If it is present, it probably is not common.
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This small species flies in the early spring.
Grape (Vitis), ampelopsis (Ampelopsis), and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus) all serve as larval hosts. |
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Hyles lineata
WO, the White-lined Sphinx
The forewing upperside is dark olive brown with paler brown along the
costa and outer margin, a narrow tan band running from the wing tip
to the base, and white streaks along the veins.
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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 south. It is a strong migrant,
however, and might be seen as an adult in Lackawanna County. I doubt it would overwinter there.
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