Bee?
Location: Kunming, China
January 5, 2011 4:22 pm
Hello!
I came across this very large bug wich looks like a cross between a bee and a hummingbird in the southwest of China in october.
I wonder what it could be, do you know?
Signature: Karin
Diurnal Sphinx on Cosmos in China
Dear Karin,
Your observation that this looked like a cross between a bee and a hummingbird is quite astute as many of the diurnal Sphinx Moths like your example are known as Hummingbird Moths. We will need to take some time to research the species, but we imagine it can be found on the Sphingidae of the Palaearctic website. We are also very intrigued with the flower it is feeding upon, the Cosmos, and your photograph of the Cosmos meadow. Is that a wild meadow? Or is it, perhaps, a cultivated garden?
Cosmos Meadow in China
Hello!
Thank you for a very quick reply. The meadow is most probably cultivated in a manner to look wild. It was in a place called Stone Forrest which is a park surrounding a special kind of rock formations found outside Kunming.
Regards, Karin
That makes sense. We thought afterward that we believe Cosmos are native to Central America, but we did not research that.
Ed. Note: January 7, 2011
Now that time has permitted, we researched the origin of Cosmos, which is Mexico to South America according to a Horticulture website we found.
¶ Posted 06 January 2011 § ‡ ° I think its a hawkmoth
Location: rice, texas
January 4, 2011 2:08 pm
All the hawkmoths i’ve seen dont appear to have wings like this though; so i’m not completely sure what it is. Please get back to me.
Signature: Sarah
Gaudy Sphinx
Hi Sarah,
The individual in your photograph is indeed a Hawkmoth known as the Gaudy Sphinx. It is unlikely to confuse this beauty with any other North American species since the green coloration is so vivid. The underwings are also beautifully colored and marked.
¶ Posted 04 January 2011 § ‡ ° bee?
Location: Croatia
December 26, 2010 6:11 pm
hey bugman,
we went to croatia this summer and took some lovely photos of mating bugs and now were wondering: what are they?
Signature: Evelyne
Mating Olive Bee Hawkmoths
Hi Evelyne,
We quickly identified your mating Olive Bee Hawkmoths, Hemaris croatica, on the Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic website.
¶ Posted 30 December 2010 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love Whats for supper?
Location: Coal Creek, Queens County, New Brunswick
December 9, 2010 5:24 pm
Hi, I found a Goldenrod Crab Spider on a lilac bush with another bug clasped in its jaws. Is the Goldenrod’s prey a Hummingbird Moth? If so do you know what species it is?
Signature: Christophe
Crab Spider eats Hummingbird Clearwing
Hi Christophe,
We went back through some old mail today to try to answer a few questions we did not respond to this past month and we came across you awesome photograph. We are guessing that this photo was taken some time before it was submitted because lilacs bloom in the spring. The Crab Spider has captured a much larger Clearwing Moth in the genus Hemaris, and we believe it is the Hummingbird Clearing, Hemaris thysbe. You can compare your image to the photographs posted on the Sphingidae of the Americas Website.
Moth unknown
Location: Naples, FL
November 23, 2010
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for you reply. I have a large “Orange Jasmine” bush that flowers often and profusely. This brings in lots of flying insects and the flying insects attract tropical orb spiders.
I have attached some photos. You may use any of the photos I have sent to you, my compliments. If there are numbers in the file name they are the year, month, day.
The file named Moth_unknown: I see many similar types of moth when the jasmine blooms.
I live on eight acres, about 8 miles east of Naples, FL.
Regards,
Robert Lenahan
Streaked Sphinx: Protambulyx strigilis
Hi again Rober,
This gorgeously aerodynamic Sphinx Moth is Protambulyx strigilis. According to the Sphingidae of the Americas website it is commonly called the Streaked Sphinx
¶ Posted 23 November 2010 § ‡ ° Brown Moth
Location: Holualoa, HI
November 20, 2010 2:03 am
The moth is about 1.2” long with a teardrop shaped body covered with short silky hairs. The wings do not look like any moth wings I have ever seen. They look more like seedpod wings.
Signature: Gini
Vine Hawk Moth
Hi Gini,
Your Vine Hawk Moth, Choerocampa rosetta, which we identified on the Sphingidae of the Americas website, is an Asian species which has been recorded in Hawaii since the late 1990s. We are not certain why Bill Oehlke divides the compound name Hawkmoth into two words as this is atypical.
¶ Posted 20 November 2010 § ‡ ° Oleander Hawkmoth in Virginia?
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia USA
October 21, 2010 10:54 pm
Greetings,
I submitted photos of this specimen to you a couple of weeks ago but apparently my subject line failed to catch your attention, so I’m re-submitting it with a better subject line.
I found this moth on the trim molding outside my garage in Fredericksburg, Virginia back in September, and it remained in place for several days before disappearing one night. None of my friends or neighbors had ever seen one like it before so I thought I’d submit it to you for identification. Tonight, after reading the recent postings on the site I saw a picture of one in Hawaii that looked very similar, so I thought I’d contact you again.
Signature: Bernie
Pandora Sphinx
Dear Bernie,
While your moth looks somewhat similar to an Oleander Hawkmoth, you have photographed a native species known as the Pandora Sphinx.
¶ Posted 23 October 2010 § ‡ ° What is this bug?
Location: Offshore Angola, West Africa
October 13, 2010 12:51 am
Dear Bugman,
i met this beuty in an oil field located about 75 nautical miles off the coast of Angola. It is 5-6 cm. long.
Signature: Geir
Unknown Sphinx Moth
Hi Geir,
We are going to post your letter and photo of a Sphinx Moth first and then try to identify the species. Sphinx Moths or Hawkmoths in the family Sphingidae are strong fliers and we are not surprised it was found out to sea. Perhaps if we are not successful with a species identification, our of our readers will be able to supply an answer.
Hi Daniel and Geir:
I believe your moth is the aptly named Verdant Hawkmoth (or Verdant Sphinx Moth), Euchloron megaera (Sphingidae: Macroglossinae) It ranges throughout Africa and Madagascar. Regards. Karl
¶ Posted 13 October 2010 § ‡ ° 
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