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Category Archives: Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths   rss

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Gaudy Sphinx from Argentina

Strange Moth(?)
Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 1:20 PM
Strange Moth(?)
i was with my friends having dinner in the garden at night when we spotted this rare moth-like bug, at first, we thought it was a little bird (it was as big as my hand with its wings spread) finally it got closer, an one of my friends went to have a closer look , it released some kinf of liquid from its abdomen, wich scared him a little bit, jaja, then it just flew away, i believe it is one of those night moths, altough i never saw one so big, an green like this one… any ideas?
Federico
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Gaudy Sphinx

Gaudy Sphinx

Hola Federico,
Most of the photos we receive of the Gaudy Sphinx, Eumorpha labruscae, come from Florida and the Caribbean, so we are happy to have your Argentine example from the southern portion of the species’ range.

Posted 21 December 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Pink Spotted Hawkmoth

Moth with a “monkey on his back”
Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 4:41 PM
Moth with a “monkey on his back”
Dear WTB,
This moth was hanging out on a birdhouse on our porch this summer. We live in Hagerstown, MD- between PA and WV. My son called out that it looked like it had a monkey face on its back- maybe a defense mechanism? Thought you might like to see it! Love your site!!
ABX Moser
The panhandle and valley of Western MD

Pink Spotted Hawkmoth

Pink Spotted Hawkmoth

Dear ABX Moser,
Your Sphinx Moth is a Pink Spotted Hawkmoth, Agrius cingulata which you can read more about on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website. If it had opened its wings, you would see the distinctive pink spotting on the abdomen and the pink stripes on the hind wings.

Posted 17 December 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Hummingbird Sphinx from Japan

flying bug
Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 11:19 PM
About a month ago, we saw this flying around the flowers pictured, near a river and the gardens of Osaka Castle, Japan. Sorry I couldn’t get a better picture (despite having a DSLR) – it wouldn’t stay still long enough. Pretty big really… with the body perhaps 3 or 3.5 cms long. Image has been sharpened to bring out details better. Don’t bust a gut on my behalf – just curious :-) . Regards, Tony
Tony, Japan
Osaka, Japan

Hummingbird Moth from Japan

Hummingbird Moth from Japan

answering own question
Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 11:34 PM
Sorry – my friend found the answer to my query of 10 minutes ago: seems the bug is a Pellucid or Hummingbird Hawk Moth, for which a much better picture exists at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jshillaw/515960768/
Hope I haven’t taken your time… Regards, Tony
Tony, Japan
Osaka, Japan

Hi Tony,
The Flickr page you sent us to indicates:  “It’s Japanese name is  オオスカシバ (Oosukashiba ” but we wanted to try to find out the Linnean binomial name.  We googled Oosukashiba and found a site that listed Pellucid hawk moth = oosukashiba = Cephonodes hylas.  The Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic was our final destination.  There you may find fabulous life cycle photos as well as maps and information.

Posted 13 December 2008 § ‡ Comments (2) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Oleander Hawk Moth

Oleander Hawk Moth (?) on Maui
Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 2:44 PM
I’ve tentatively identified this moth (see attached image) as an Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii). Does that seem correct? Pertinent info: Photo shot on a palm tree trunk near Pukalani, Maui (Hawai’i); altitude > 3,000 feet. Wingspan is about 10 cm. Any info you can provide is appreciated. Mahalo nui loa!
PS. GREAT website!!!
Malama aina!
Maui Mike
Pukalani, Maui, Hawai’i

Oleander Hawk Moth

Oleander Hawk Moth

Hi Maui Mike,
Your identification of an Oleander Hawk Moth is absolutely correct.  We haven’t posted a photo of this species in a very long time and we are happy to add your image to our archives.

Posted 06 December 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Mating Fig Sphinxes

Hawk Moths-Do you know what kind. From Florida
Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 2:00 PM
William Arney

Mating Fig Sphinxes

Mating Fig Sphinxes

Hi William,
These are mating Fig Sphinxes, Pachylia ficus, and we are thrilled to post your photo.

Posted 09 November 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Hummingbird Clearwing

Is this a clearwing moth
Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 2:26 PM
Took this photo in northeastern Illinois. I believe that it is a clearwing moth, but I do not know what type.
Norm Carl
northeastern Illinois near Chicago

Hummingbird Clearwing

Hummingbird Clearwing

Hi Norm,
We are happy to see that you figured out how to send the photo before we had a chance to respond.  We believe this is a Hummingbird Clearwing, Hemaris thysbe, but there are closely related species in the genus Hemaris that sometimes confuse us.  You can find lots of great information and photos on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.

Posted 22 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Ello Sphinx Caterpillar and Emerged Adult

Large, smooth, green caterpillar in Florida
Hello Bugman!
I hope you can help me. I found this lovely, large caterpillar on a silver buttonwood bush in my Florida yard. I live in Brevard County on the east coast. Two sites have suggested that it may be a Tantalus Moth, but I could not find photos of a Tantalus Moth caterpillar online or in any books to verify it. This picture shows the critter on the branch he was eating. Do you recognize this caterpillar? He is 3″ long, the size of my index finger. Thank you!
Donna Peters
Indialantic, FL

Fig Sphinx Caterpillar

Fig Sphinx Caterpillar

Hi Donna,
We are nearly certain that this is the caterpillar of the Fig Sphinx, Pachylia ficus. This is a highly variable caterpillar. We have checked Bill Oehlke’s excellent website, and the coloration on your specimen somewhat resembles one on his site, but it is still different. We are going to copy Bill Oehlke on this response so he can verify that our identification is correct. If our identification is correct, then the silver buttonwood bush, Conocarpus erectus, would be a new host plant for the caterpillar which feeds on members of the genus Ficus, the figs. Bill Oehlke may also request permission to post your interesting color variation on his own website.

Thank you, so much, for following up with me. I have several silver buttonwoods, and I have poured over all of them looking for more caterpillars, but this guy seems to be it. One of our neighbors has a fig tree, which may be worth mentioning. I don’t know if it translated in the photos, but the darker shade on the caterpillar’s back is purplish. Quite lovely!
Again, thank you.
Donna Peters

October 16, 2008
Daniel,
Here is reply I sent to Donna regarding “Pachylia ficus”
I am going to ask Jim Tuttle for his opinion. I wil get back to you and to Donna if I get an id from Jim

Hi Donna,
I am pretty sure the larvae are of one of the Erinnyis species, probably Erinnyis ello, possibly Erinnyis alope. I wil try for a second opinion and get back to you.
I am almost positive they are not Pachylia ficus.
Bill Oehlke

Daniel,
Jim Tuttle has confirmed the larvae are Erinnyis ello.
Bill Oehlke

Update: 11 November 2008
Hi Bill,
The caterpillar you identified for me as Erinnyis ello emerged today and was released this evening. I have attached a photo. It vibrated it’s wings on the potted plant for about 5 minutes, then flew away over the house. My 7 year old son loved it. Thanks again! :)
Donna Peters

Ello Sphinx

Ello Sphinx

Hi Donna,
Thanks for updating us on the emergence of your adult Ello Sphinx.

Posted 12 October 2008 § Hornworms ‡ Comments (1) °

Fig Sphinx

Is this a sphinx moth?
Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Found this beautiful moth resting underneath an orchid basket in my South Florida backyard. (Lake Worth) Its about 3-4 inches long.
It has a very long snout.
Julie
Lake Worth Florida

Fig Sphinx

Fig Sphinx

Hi Julie,
This is a Fig Sphinx, Pachylia ficus.  The larval food plants are in the genus Ficus, the figs, and the caterpillar has at least four distinct color morphs.

Posted 11 October 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Titan Sphinx: Breaking News!!!! Second unusual sighting of Tropical Species in Northen Climes this week

What is happening with the Titan Sphinx?
What is happening with the Titan Sphinx?
I am submitting this as a follow-up to Gary D. Taylor’s wonderful posting of a Titan Sphinx (Aellopos titan) on September 19. I will try not to repeat too much of what I submitted as a comment to that posting (a great new feature on your site, by the way). The Titan Sphinx is considered a tropical species with a normal range extending from northern Argentina to the US Gulf states. Beyond that there are scattered reports of strays in many of the eastern states and southern portions of eastern Canada. I had the great good fortune of seeing this individual in early August of this year in the extreme southeast corner of Manitoba, probably quite close to Garry’s siting. It turns out it has been reported from Manitoba only once before, and that was sometime pre-1925! It makes me wonder, is the species becoming more common up here? Was this just an exceptional year with a few individuals straying northward on a strong south wind? Was it the same individual (pretty unlikely, but an interesting thought)? It would be very interesting to know what other sitings there were this year, and I will definitely be looking for it again next year. Regards.
Karl
Winnipeg, Canada

Titan Sphinx: Tropical species in Canada!!!

Titan Sphinx: Tropical species in Canada!!!

Hi Karl,
Thanks for your letter and photo as well as the comment on the previous unusual Titan Sphinx sighting. We are thrilled to break this news to the entomological world. Here at What’s That Bug? we feel compelled to wax on the possibilities of these two unusual sightings. Global Warming perhaps? Transport by Hurricane Ike maybe? Could not some Titan Sphinxes have been picked up by Ike in the Caribbean and ridden the storm north in the relatively calm eye? We will be copying Bill Oehlke on this reply since he has compiled extensive species distribution data on the Sphingidae on his wonderful website. He may request permission to post your photo.

Posted 22 September 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Titan Sphinx

Titan Sphinx moth
While trying to find out what this moth was, we noticed you didn’t have a picture of it on your moth page. My students originally thought it was a hummingbird, then a bee, and finally a moth was suggested. My classes were able to identify it as a Titan Sphinx, Aellopos titan . This was found in the farthest northwest corner of Minnesota, which made it hard to identify because it is not normally here. This will be one of my biggest goals in life, being on your site. The only thing better would be to win a Nasty Reader Award. You have a great reference site.
Respectfully,
Gary D. Taylor
Science Teacher
Tri-County High School

Titan Sphinx

Titan Sphinx

Hi Gary,
Thank you so much for contributing a new species, the Titan Sphinx or White-Banded Day Sphinx, Aellopos titan, to our website. We are linking to Bill Oehlke’s fabulous website in order to provide more information on this species. We just transitioned to our new format this weekend, and we had numerous technical difficulties. We are happy we decided to sort through two day old mail to find post worthy letters. We seriously cannot imagine you ever achieving the infamy of our Nasty Reader Award since your correspondence is so gracious. We will be copying Bill Oehlke on this response as he will probably want to add this unusual sighting to his own website, and he will probably request permission to use your image as well. Bill Oehlke can also verify that the identification is correct.

Posted 19 September 2008 § ‡ Comments (3) °

Gaudy Sphinx

Sphinx/Hawkmoth
I know you are incredibally busy. You previuosly helped me identify mournful sphinx moths that feed on flowers in my backyard and hover like hummingbirds. I have a new photo of a gaudy sphinx I’ve attached. Can you please tell me the difference between hawk moths and sphinx moths? Do all sphinx moths hover like hummingbirds? Are there hawk moths in Central Florida?Thanks,
Tobey Barr

Gaudy Sphinx Moth

Gaudy Sphinx Moth

Hi Tobey,
Thanks so much for your gorgeous photo of a Gaudy Sphinx. To answer your question, Sphinx Moths and Hawk Moths are the same, but it is a local preference. In the U.S. we say Sphinx and Brits call them Hawk Moths.

Posted 13 September 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Mournful Sphinx

mournful sphinx??
Central Florida, photo taken 9.3.08.
Is this a mournful sphinx?  It drinks from my pentas in the evening and hovers like a hummingbird.  I’ve always called them hummingbird hawk moths.  They come in pairs, and one is darker than the other.  They are 1-1.5" tip to tail. Thanks,
Tobey Barr

Hi Tobey,
In our opinion, you are correct with your identification of a Mournful Sphinx, Enyo lugubris. You can read more about this wide ranging Sphinx on Bill Oehlke’s website.

Posted 04 September 2008 § ‡ Comments (0) °

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