| Great ash sphinx | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Sphinx |
| Species: | S. chersis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphinx chersis | |
| Synonyms | |
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Sphinx chersis, the great ash sphinx or northern ash sphinx, is a moth that belongs to the family Sphingidae.
This insect has a large wing span (90 to 130 mm). 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. The upperside of the hindwing is black with blurry pale gray bands. The larva of this species is typically light green with blue dashes and a bluish-green horn, but there is a red morph as well. Its appearance is very similar to that of others in the subfamily Sphinginae.
Its larvae feed upon various plants in the olive family (Oleaceae) such as lilacs (Syringa spp.), ashes (Fraxinus spp.), and privet (Ligustrum vulgare). Mature caterpillars pupate in subterranean chambers when they have finished feeding, and here the pupae stay dormant until the next year. The moth emerges any time from May to August in the South, but is only found from June to July farther north. Adults feed at dusk on deep-throated flowers and have been sighted at honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), evening primroses (in the family Onagraceae), dogbane (Apocynum spp.), phlox (Phlox spp.), and bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis).
This species occurs in northern Mexico and throughout most of the United States, wherever the larval hosts are present, though it is uncommon in the Gulf States.
Ceratomia amyntor, the elm sphinx or four-horned sphinx, is a North American moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Geyer in 1835. It has a wingspan of 3+1⁄4-4+1⁄2 inches. As the name suggests, the larvae (caterpillars) feed on elm trees (Ulmus), but they can also be found feeding on birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and cherry (Prunus). When the caterpillars are ready, they crawl to the bottom of the host tree, where they crawl underneath the soil and pupate and may overwinter underground if late enough into the year. Vegetable growers should be aware of this larvae due to its insatiable appetite. One of these larvae are capable in devouring huge amounts of plant's foliage and even succulent stems.
Amphonyx duponchel, or Duponchel's sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Felipe Poey in 1832.
Isoparce cupressi, the baldcypress sphinx or cypress sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Lintneria eremitus, the hermit sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is found in the temperate areas of the eastern United States, north into southern Canada over the Great Plains. It prefers gardens and yards, but is common wherever the nectar and larval host plants are found. This moth is easily confused with the Canadian sphinx but these two moths do not typically co-occur.
Agrius convolvuli, the convolvulus hawk-moth, is a large hawk-moth. It is common throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, partly as a migrant. In New Zealand, it is also known as the kumara moth, and in the Māori language as hīhue.
Paonias myops, the small-eyed sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797.
Smerinthus jamaicensis, the twin-spotted sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.
Smerinthus saliceti, the Salicet sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875.
Lintneria geminus, the gemmed sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Walter Rothschild and Karl Jordan in 1903. It is found from Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua with an occasional stray into Texas.
Erinnyis obscura, the obscure sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johann Christian Fabricius in 1775.
Isognathus rimosa, the rimosus sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1865.
Smerinthus ocellatus, the eyed hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Aellopos ceculus is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Eumorpha achemon, the Achemon sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.
Eumorpha phorbas is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Eumorpha vitis, known as the vine sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
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.
Sphinx canadensis, the Canadian sphinx, is a member of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875.
Cechetra minor, the lesser green hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Sphinx sequoiae, the sequoia sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in the United States from Oregon south through California, Nevada, and south-eastern Utah to Arizona and further south into Mexico's northern Baja California.
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