What’s this bug??
Hi, my husband found this moth at work. He works on the ocean shore line in Long Branch NJ. He was 4 stories up when he saw this moth resting on a metal pipe. What is this bug?? It is absolutly beautiful. Very large looking eyes. Sorry the pictures do not do the bug justice. Thanks for you time. Very cool website! I will save this on my favs!
Jacqui & Matt
from Ocean County NJ
Hi Jacqui and Matt,
We have numerous photos of Pandora Sphinx Moths on our site, but the angle on this shot is a refreshing point of view.
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Posted 16 October 2006
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Gaudy Sphinx Moth from Miami, Florida
I love your site and now go to it weekly to see god’s creatures. Every day I am more and more amazed at the variety that there is in nature. I now have something to offer your site. I saw this moth outside my front porch in Miami, Florida and was amazed that I had never seen one like that before. It was beautiful and my 14 month old daughter kept pointing at it and calling it a bird. I found the moth on your site and found it to be a Gaudy Sphinx moth that is common in Cuba and up the Florida. I thought you might like another picture to add to your site’s collection.
Cesar
Hi Cesar,
We are always excited to get a new photo of the Gaudy Sphinx, Eumorpha labruscae, and we are thrilled to post it. We have often wondered at the origin of the common name “Gaudy” and are guessing it refers to the outrageously flashy coloration of the underwings, which can be seen on Bill Oehlke’s website. Though the origin of the word “gaudy” is not connected to him, we like the tonal association with Antoni Gaudi, the visionary Spanish architect.
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Posted 14 October 2006
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Interesting moth in N.W. NJ…
Hello Bugman,
I learned about your website when I found a female Dobson Fly outside the car dealership where I work, and the other week I thought there was a clump of leaves on a car but upon closer inspection I realized it was a moth I have never seen. I didn’t quite see an exact match on the bug guide, but it looks to be some type of Sphynx moth. Here are some pics so you can choose which pic you like best.
Jordan M.
Newton, NJ
Hi Jordan,
We have numerous images of the Pandora Sphinx, Eumorpha pandorus, on our site and we are thrilled to add your image to our archive.
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Posted 13 October 2006
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Unknown large moth
Hi. Love your website. I tried to find this bug on your site, but could not. I live in Winter Haven, Florida. Found this bug last month, Sept ‘06 when I was thinning out my garden.
D
Hi D.,
This is a Banded Sphinx, Eumorpha fasciatus. The Sphinx Moths in the family Sphingidae have their own dedicated pages.
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Posted 13 October 2006
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Mysterious Moths, part 2
Dear Bugman,
I’ve been a fan of entomology since I was a kid, but I have not had the time nor resources to keep up with it as an adult. I stumbled onto your site after hearing stories of the Cicada Killer Wasps on my friend’s property in Indiana and looked them up. On three different trips to Farwell, Michigan, I encountered three spectacular species of moth for the first time and still know nothing about them. This is the second of three unidentifiable moths I ran into in north-central Michigan. This small moth was maybe an inch in length and very dark. It was dark charcoal gray, dark brown, and light rust in color. It had a "mohawk-like" fuzzy crest on its dorsal side of the thorax. Its abdomen curled upward and overall this was the neatest insect I had ever seen. That is, until the next moth in this three-part series… Thanks,
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
This is a Small-Eyed Sphinx, Paonias myops. Bill Oehlke’s website is an excellent source for information on Sphinx Moths.
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Posted 10 October 2006
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Hummingbird moth
This is a hummingbird moth i took a picture of in my front yard. I would like to know what kind it is. I live in washington Parish in Louisiana. Thank you,
Robert Potter
Hi Robert,
This is a Pink Spotted Hawkmoth, Agrius cingulata.
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Posted 08 October 2006
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Sphinx Moth?
I found this moth hanging on my porch screen yesterday morning. I’m guessing it’s some sort of sphinx moth? Love your website. It’s the best!
(Ed. Note: 15 minutes later)
Thanks to the link on your website to the Bill Oehlke’s moth website, I found the Sphinx moth that I sent you. Naturally, it was the last one on the page. 
It’s a Tersa Sphinx Moth. http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/xterster.htm
Sheila
Rincon, GA
Wow Sheila,
If you got through all of Bill Oehlke’s individual pages in a mere 15 minutes, you have the fastest internet provider on the planet. Your identification of the Tersa Sphinx is correct and the photo is lovely.
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Posted 05 October 2006
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What’s that bug?
I found this large moth under the patio. It measures 2-1/2 inches with its wings closed. I’ve never seen a moth this big in Torrance ( a suburb of Los Angeles). I’ve enclosed two photos. Can you tell me what kind of moth it is? Thank you very much.
Glen Yoshida
Hi Glen,
Your beautiful moth is a Pink Spotted Hawkmoth.
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Posted 30 September 2006
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For you
Hi!,
I came home from work this evening, and this pretty guy was resting on my front door. I believe it is a Lesser Vine Sphinx. I tried to take a couple decent pics for your site if you could make use of them. Thanks for all of your wonderous work!!
Jacob
~Neptune Bch, FL
Hi Jacob,
We agree with your identification of the Lesser Vine Sphinx.
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Posted 25 September 2006
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After identifying this little jewel from my garden in South Carolina, through your website, I thought I would go for bug of the month. Or is that moth of the month ? Please reply back if it makes that honor !!
THANK YOU !!
John Bridges
Hi John,
Thank you for sending in your image of a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, one of the Sphinx Moths. We haven’t really decided on a Bug of the Month for October yet, but we do have an idea. We generally choose a seasonal creature based on identification volume from prior years.
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Posted 23 September 2006
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Pink Spotted Hawk Moth?
Dear Bugman:
While photographing my night-blooming cactus (in Lakeland, Florida) about 3 AM the other night, this moth showed up hovering like a hummingbird (and about as large). It went from flower to flower feeding on the blooms for several minutes before zooming off. I’ve seen a lot of these moths at rest or dead in the past, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in flight. (It’s also the first time I’ve ever seen what pollinates these cacti.) The white petals span a diameter of over 4-inches (not including the green/reddish sepals). I am amazed at the wingspan of this moth. Of all the pictures I’ve seen on your website and elsewhere, it looks most like a Pink Spotted Hawk Moth. Is that what this is? Thanks.
Steven Spake
Lakeland, FL
Hi Steven,
You are correct. We should also note that they eye of the moth is reflecting the light from your flash and does not glow of its own accord. You might be interested in knowing that when Darwin found out about a cactus in Madagascar with a ten inch long throat, he theorized that a Sphinx Moth or Hawkmoth must have an equally long proboscis to pollinate the flower. The moth was later discovered.
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Posted 20 September 2006
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Whats this moth’s name
Picture was sent by a friend who found it in his backyard and wanted to identify it.
Rick Emmett
St.Catharines ON.
Hi Rick,
We probably have at least ten photos of Pandora Sphinx Moths archived on our Sphinx Moth pages. People often call it a Camo Moth.
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Posted 16 September 2006
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