What kind of moth?
September 6, 2009
This unusual moth (to me, anyway!) has been resting on our covered patio during the daylight hours for several days. So far, I have not been able to find a close match…
Thanks!
Deb
Beaumont, Texas

Banded Sphinx we believe

Hi Deb,
There are two closely related moth species that both range in Texas and that look quite similar to one another.  We believe your moth is a Banded Sphinx, Eumorpha fasciatus and you can compare you moth to the images on Bill Oehlke’s awesome website.  The other species is the Vine Sphinx, Eumorpha vitis, and it can also be viewed on Bill Oehlke’s website.  According to Bill Oehlke, the two moths can be distinguished from one another in the following manner:  “The upperside of the moth [Eumorpha vitis] is dark pinkish brown. Each forewing has a lighter brown band along the costa, and sharp pinkish white bands and streaks. The hindwing has a pink patch on the inner margin, but lacks the pink along the outer margin, distinguishing it from fasciata.  Note the large brown ‘parallelogram between lowest of three striga upwards toward the transverse lines. In E. fasciatus this same area is very small, almost non-existent.“  We are unsure of the parallelogram in question, hence our uncertainty as to the exact species.

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giant moth
August 29, 2009
My daughter found this large moth in our screened in pool area. It is about 2 inches long. It has some pink when it spreads it wings. We have never seen anything like it and would love to know what it is.
Diane Nguyen
Ocala, FL

probably Pawpaw Sphinx

Hi Diane,
This is a Sphinx Moth, and we believe the species is the Pawpaw Sphinx, Dolba hyloeus.  Of all the moths listed for Florida on Bill Oehlke’s awesome website, this seems the best match.  There is a shot of the belly of the species on BugGuide, and that also looks close to your specimen.  We are copying Bill Oehlke on this response to see if he can verify our identification.

probably Pawpaw Sphinx

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Sphinx Moths
August 13, 2009
Hello there! First of all, I love your site!
I just wanted to share these pics of what I believe are a Virginia Creeper Sphinx and Rustic Sphinx that I found at the gas station early this morning. Thankfully I always keep at least one of my cameras with me and was able to take these photos. Especially since I’ve never seen a Rustic before. It was pretty big! I tried to pick it up for a size comparison, but it fluttered around in my hand and then flew away.
D. Ashley
Minden, Louisiana.

Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Dear D.,
Thanks for sending us your two wonderful photographs of correctly identified Sphinx Moths.  The Virginia Creeper Sphinx is Darapsa myron, and you can read more about it on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.  The Rustic Sphinx is Manduca rustica and it can also be found on Bill Oehlke’s website.

Rustic Sphinx

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Sphinx moth
August 11, 2009
Dear bugman; I have been trying to get a photo of this moth for 4 days . I think it may be a Hummingbird moth (Hemaris thysbe). Today I decided to catch and cool it in the freezer for 3 minutes. When I took him out he wasn’t moving. I thought I killed him. I was dreading the thought of (UNNECESSARY CARNAGE) or worse yet, involuntary bugslauter. I put him (or her) in the sun hoping he might come around. I took over 30 photos, when he started to flutter, and dropped to the ground. I picked him up and put him back on the flower. he didn’t move for another 10 minutes. Then he just flew strait up, about ten feet and turned, and flew off.
I was browsing through the local library on Saturday, when I came across a book titled KAUFMAN Field Guide to Insects of North America. I’ve owned the Kaufman Birds of North America for many years now, and thought, if this book is half as good as the bird book it will be great. When I picked it up I saw the author was Eric Eaton. I started reading, and almost forgot to stop for lunch. The only problem now is they are going to want it back. Keep up the good work, and write that book!
Terry Sincheff
Mound, MN

Hummingbird Clearwing

Dear Terry,
We do not as yet have a tagged category for Involuntary BugSlaughter, but that would not be quite as serious a matter as our current Unnecessary Carnage tag.  We do not consider accidental deaths to be cause for tagging a letter as Unnecessary Carnage.  A recent example was the chilling to death of a Gold and Brown Rove Beetle.  Since your Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe, survived, this is all a moot point.  Your intention in chilling this specimen was to take photos and then to release the moth, as opposed to recent postings where the intention was to dispatch of a perceived threat.  We will state again that it has never been our intention to vilify readers who out of fear kill a benign creature that was perceived as a threat, but to educate our readership in the event of future encounters with frightening but harmless creatures.
With regards to the KAUFMAN Field Guide to Insects of North America, it sounds like after taking the library copy for a test drive, you may need to buy your own copy.  We are quite certain Eric Eaton would appreciate that.  Eric is highly entertaining in print and we are quite thankful that he contributes so much to What’s That Bug? when we need correction or clarification in our identifications.
You may read more about the Hummingbird Clearwing on Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website.

Hummingbird Clearwing

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