Franck's sphinx moth | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Male, dorsal view | |
![]() | |
Male, ventral view | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Sphingidae |
Genus: | Sphinx |
Species: | S. franckii |
Binomial name | |
Sphinx franckii Neumoegen, 1893 | |
Sphinx franckii, or Franck's sphinx moth is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Berthold Neumoegen in 1893. It is known from lowland deciduous woodland in the eastern United States but also suburban areas where lilacs ( Syringa species) are planted, ranging from New York to northern Florida east to Missouri and Louisiana. [1]
The wingspan is 100–128 mm. There is one generation in the north with adults on wing from late June to early July. In the south, there may be a partial second generation with adults on wing from August to September. Adults most frequently nectar from phlox ( Phlox paniculata and cultivars). However, males will occasionally gather over moist charcoal to obtain nutrients from the charred wood prior to copulation. Adults fly at dusk and in the early morning hours.
The larvae feed on several plants in the olive family. The only native hosts of this moth are ash ( Fraxinus ) and fringe tree ( Chionanthus virginicus ). However, larvae seem to have a liking for ornamental lilac ( Syringa ), and occasionally will feed on privet ( Ligustrum ). Larvae are commonly parasitized by native braconid wasps. The introduced tachinid fly poses additional threat to the beautiful caterpillars of this species. Larvae pupate in subterranean chambers a few inches beneath the surface of the ground. The pupa is a shiny, chestnut-brown color.
Manduca jasminearum, the ash sphinx, is a member of the moth family Sphingidae. It ranges from east of the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, being common in the northeast United States.
Manduca florestan, the Florestan sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Caspar Stoll in 1782.
Manduca muscosa, the muscosa sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Manduca occulta, the occult sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Paratrea is a monotypic moth genus in the family Sphingidae erected by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1903. Its single species, Paratrea plebeja, the plebeian sphinx moth, was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1777. It is found in the eastern part of the United States as far west as Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and eastern Texas.
Sphinx asellus, the asellus sphinx moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Walter Rothschild and Karl Jordan in 1903. It is known from pinyon-juniper woodland and similar arid areas in the US states of Colorado, Nevada, Utah, extreme south-western Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and south-western Texas.
Sphinx chersis, the great ash sphinx or northern ash sphinx, is a moth that belongs to the family Sphingidae.
Sphinx dollii, or Doll's sphinx moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from arid brushlands and desert foothills from Nevada and southern California east through Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and from New Mexico to Oklahoma and Texas.
Sphinx drupiferarum, the wild cherry sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797.
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.
Lintneria eremitoides, the sage sphinx, is a moth from the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Herman Strecker in 1874. It is known from North America's sandy prairies in the Great Plains from Kansas south through central Oklahoma to Texas, and possibly west to Colorado and New Mexico, and as a rare stray to western Missouri.
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.
Aellopos clavipes, also known as the clavipes sphinx, 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.
Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their bird-like size and flight patterns.
Amphion floridensis, the Nessus sphinx, is a day-flying moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was described by Pieter Cramer in 1777, and renamed in 1920. It is the only member of the genus Amphion erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. It lives throughout the eastern United States and Canada and occasionally south into Mexico, and is one of the more commonly encountered day-flying moths in the region, easily recognized by the two bright-yellow bands across the abdomen.
The prairie sphinx moth or Wiest's primrose sphinx is a species of moth in the family Sphingidae. It is found in the Western United States. The habitat consists of sand washes and prairie blow-outs.
Aellopos tantalus, known as the Tantalus sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in Florida, the Antilles, from Mexico to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname, and in the Amazon basin.
Sphinx kalmiae, the laurel sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
Sphinx canadensis, the Canadian sphinx, is a member of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875.