The hummingbird hawk-moth is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using their long proboscis while hovering in the air; this resemblance is an example of convergent evolution.
The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them. Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Deilephila elpenor, the elephant hawk moth or large elephant hawk moth, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. Its common name is derived from the caterpillar's resemblance to an elephant's trunk. It is most common in central Europe and is distributed throughout the Palearctic region. It has also been introduced in British Columbia, Canada. Its distinct olive and pink colouring makes it one of the most recognisable moths in its range. However, it is quite easy to confuse the elephant hawk moth with the small elephant hawk moth, a closely related species that also shares the characteristic colours.
Hemaris is a genus of sphinx moths in the subfamily Macroglossinae, which is native to the Holarctic. Their main host plants are herbs and shrubs of the teasel and honeysuckle families. Moths in genus Hemaris are known collectively as clearwing moths or hummingbird moths in the US and Canada and bee hawk-moths in Britain. The related Old World hummingbird hawk-moths, genus Macroglossum, are similar in appearance and habits. Both genera have tails that are provided with an expansile truncated tuft of hairs, but only Hemaris has the disc of the wings transparent, as these scales are dropped soon after eclosion.
Eumorpha labruscae, the gaudy sphinx, is a moth in the family Sphingidae.
Hemeroplanes triptolemus is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Isognathus rimosa, the rimosus sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1865.
Pachylia ficus, known as the fig sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It lives from the northern tip of South America in Uruguay through Central America to the southern tip of the United States straying into Arizona and Texas.
Aellopos fadus, the Fadus sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776.
Eumorpha capronnieri is a moth of the family Sphingidae first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875.
Eumorpha satellitia, the satellite sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The family was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. It lives from Brazil and northern Argentina north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to south Texas and southern Arizona.
Hemaris thysbe, the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae (hawkmoths). Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.
Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as a "hummingbird moth" because of their bird-like size and flight patterns.
Darapsa myron, the Virginia creeper sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae found in central and eastern North America.
Hemaris thetis, the Rocky Mountain clearwing or California clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1855. It is found from Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah west to California and north to British Columbia. The habitat consists of streamsides and meadows in mountainous areas.
Hemaris gracilis, the slender clearwing or graceful clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote and Coleman Townsend Robinson in 1865.
Hemaris ducalis, the Pamir bee hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from the mountains of south-western Xinjiang in China, the western Tian Shan, southern and eastern Kazakhstan up to the Altai Mountains, western Mongolia, southern Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, northern Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Hemaris staudingeri is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found from eastern and central China north to the southern part of the Russian Far East.
Dolbina inexacta, the common grizzled hawkmoth, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae.
Hemaris aethra, the Diervilla clearwing, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. It is native to the northern United States and southern Canada. Like H. diffinis, with which it shares some of its range, H. aethra is a bumblebee mimic.
