Clearwing moth
Location: Brooklyn, NY
July 27, 2010 12:57 am
I am pretty sure this guy is a clearwing moth, the so-called hummingbird moth; he comes back to our garden every summer for this particular shade of pink dianthus–none other will do. I have gotten some pretty good bug shots of other things but this fella is hard to photograph, still, this one came out pretty decently. Just wanted to ask if you could confirm the type of moth, and to share these pix.
Buggy in Brooklyn
Nessus Sphinx
Dear Buggy in Brooklyn,
The Clearwing Moths in the genus Hemaris are diurnal moths often mistaken for hummingbirds, but taxonomically they are in a different tribe than your moth, the Nessus Sphinx, Amphion floridensis, though both are in the same family, Sphingidae, the Sphinx Moths or Hawkmoths. You can read more about the Nessus Sphinx on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. Your photo clearly shows the coiled proboscis even though the shutter speed was not fast enough to “freeze” the rapidly beating wings.
¶ Posted 27 July 2010 § ‡ ° Don’t you love it when people bug you?
July 22, 2010
Dan,
I have never seen this bug before but I am sure you have??? It
is about 1/3 longer than a bumblebee and the same color but its wings
are different and go about 1,000 times a second. The pic shows it with
a bumblebee.
These pics were taken July 17,2010o, in Lawrenceville,GA
Thanks. Have a great day,
Ferd Hall
Bumblebee Moth
Hi Ferd,
There are three moths in the genus Hemaris that Bill Oehlke lists as ranging in Georgia, and they all look similar and we sometimes have difficulty distinguishing them from one another. We are going to take a bit of artistic license and say that your individual is a Bumblebee Moth or Snowberry Clearwing, Hemaris diffinis, based on comparisons with the images posted to Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. We are also amused that you have a photo of the Bumblebee Moth with a Bumble Bee for comparison.
Bumble Bee and Bumblebee Moth
¶ Posted 23 July 2010 § ‡ ° Sphinx Moth
Location: Round lake IL (north of Chicago)
July 21, 2010 7:20 pm
The other night I stepped out onto my deck to see this beauty sipping nectar. The red flowers are Nicotiana and are 2 inches across. Definately larger then the Ruby throated Hummingbirds that also visit my yard. Later I saw it feed at my petunias. Is this a Carolina Sphinx? the patterns look wrong to my eyes, it can’t be a satellite sphinx, we are way to North.
Tom Helmka
Pandora Sphinx
Hi Tom,
Your photos are great at capturing the amazing mobility of the aerodynamic flight of a Sphinx Moth, but they are not ideal for identification purposes. Nonetheless, we are relatively confident that you observed a Pandora Sphinx, Eumorpha pandorus, and you can read more about this lovely moth on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website which thankfully has a view of the undersides of the wings for comparison with your only image that has the features of the wings visible.
Pandora Sphinx
Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate the effort you put into this. Your ID looks spot on.
Thanks again
Tom Helmka
¶ Posted 21 July 2010 § ‡ ° Looked like a cross between a…
Location: Castalia, Ohio 44824
July 18, 2010 8:36 pm
Looked like a cross between a humming bird, a bumble bee and a moth. It was feeding on our flowers and seemed to pay no mind to us. The pix are taken in macro and are quite striking at full zoom. We decided to call it a ”Humble Moth”. It had translucent wings, the body of a Bee, the beak of what could be described as a Humming Bird’s beak, eyes and long antenna of a moth….
What’s that Bug??!!
very Curious
Hummingbird Clearwing
Dear very Curious,
This may be any one of three Sphinx Moths in the genus Hemaris that range in Ohio. Our best guess is that this might be the Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe. You can read more about it on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.
Daniel,
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. What an interesting creature this little thing was. I enjoyed your site and the other you recommended too!
Again, Thank you!
Tony
¶ Posted 19 July 2010 § ‡ ° Butterfly lobster tailed bumble bug?
Location: New Jersey, Monmouth County
July 19, 2010 8:04 am
Help!
My son and I watched this bug for a while flying around my phlox, it was fast and fed like a butterfly, the wings where long and the body was almost 2 inches. The tail was the most interesting, the shape was like a lobster tail, the head area was fuzzy and yellow. We took so many pictures and these were the only ones in focus, the little guys was flying flower to flower like a bee or wasp, not at all interested in his observers. This guy was found early July in Monmouth county , New Jersey
Curiously Yours, Dom and Mom
Snowberry Clearwing
Hi Dom and Mom,
It is impossible for us to be certain of the exact identification of your moth because there are three members of the genus Hemaris, which look quite similar, that are all found in New Jersey. We believe, because of the dark legs and coloration, your moth is a Snowberry Clearwing or Bumblebee Moth, Hemaris diffinis. You can read more about this Sphinx Moth which is often mistaken for a hummingbird on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.
¶ Posted 19 July 2010 § ‡ ° hawk moth?
July 17, 2010
Location: Fleetwood, PA (Berks County)
this moth was hanging on my barn door most of the day yesterday. it looks a bit like a hawk moth, but they do not appear to be native to southeastern PA (Berks County). is it a hawk moth?
Dan
Pandora Sphinx
Hi Dan,
Sightings of Pandora Sphinx Moths, Eumorpha pandorus, like the one in your photo have been reported to us numerous times this year. Hawkmoth tends to be a term used more for European species, though Sphinx Moths and Hawkmoths are both common synonyms for moths in the family Sphingidae.
¶ Posted 18 July 2010 § ‡ ° Maybe Pandora Sphinx
July 11, 2010
Found this moth on July 11th this year on our palm plant on our patio in Peoria, AZ. The closest thing I could find to it is the Pandora Sphinx but both my books tell me they are not found in this part of the United States.
Jeremy
Peoria, AZ
Achemon Sphinx
Hi Jeremy,
Your observations that your moth looked like a Pandora Sphinx, Eumorpha pandora, was a good hunch since your moth, the Achemon Sphinx, Eumorpha achemon, is in the same genus. Though they are different species, the two members of the genus Eumorpha share many physical similarities and they also share a portion of their ranges. You can read more about the Achemon Sphinx on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. Your shot showing the underwings is wonderful for identification purposes.
Thank you for your help in identifying the moth and for the extra knowledge with it. I really do appreciate it.
¶ Posted 11 July 2010 § ‡ ° LIme Hawk Moth
July 7, 2010
We found this moth Sat, July 3, inside my house. Photographed it and have the speciman. Have not seen any others. Saw your postings from last year, and thought it might be interesting to you.
Joyce
Joyce
Flint Hill, VA
Pandora Sphinx
Hi Joyce,
We have gotten several emails inquiring if a native Pandora Sphinx, Eumorpha pandorus, like the one in your photo might be a nonnative Lime Hawk Moth. The coloration of the two species is similar, but the markings are quite different. You can read more about the Pandora Sphinx on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website, and you can see our own report of a Lime Hawkmoth in Pennsylvania from last year. We suspect that APHIS is also getting emails from our readership, because the following request just came our way.
UPDATE FROM APHIS: Procedure for alerting APHIS about new pests
July 8, 2010
Hi Daniel,
I think there has been some confusion as to the correct procedure of alerting APHIS to potential invasive pests. I know Stephanie Dubon asked you to contact her in the past, but she no longer works for the USDA. Right now the best thing for people to do is to try and get the actual specimen and submit it to their state department of agriculture or to contact their county extension agency. They will then send the specimen on to APHIS.
Is it possible to remove Stephanie Dubon’s contact information from your website? (See Lime Hawk Moth in PA postings). We really appreciate the vigilance of everyone out there looking for potential invasive pests, but unfortunately, there is very little we can do in our office. Stephanie’s position was not filled and so there is no one to handle these kinds of emails anymore. By far, the best thing to do, as I mentioned, is to go through the proper channels (i.e., through the state departments of agriculture and/or the county extension offices).
Thank you for your consideration. We just don’t want people to become frustrated waiting for a response.
Sincerely,
The New Pest Advisory Group
Thanks so much for the correct ID, guess I just could not find it in my books, so went on line and only found the Lime HM, not the Pandora Sphinx. And though it was different, it seemed to be the closest. I really appreciate your site and the ability to get a correct ID for us out in the field.
Joyce
¶ Posted 08 July 2010 § ‡ ° 
rss
I like This
