Subject: Veggie garden visitor
Location: St Clair, New South Wales, Australia
December 9, 2016 11:01 pm
Hey big man! My sister had this bug hanging around her veggie garden and we are very fascinated to know what it is! The pictures are a tad blurry but it’s ‘furryness’ made it very distinct. We are located in Sydney, Australia and are currently in summer. Doing some hunting it looks to me like a hummingbird moth but they are found in America. Any help? Thanks heaps
Signature: Bianca
Dear Bianca,
The reason your sister’s garden visitor reminds you of a Hummingbird Moth is that your Hawkmoth is a member of the same family, Sphingidae. We believe you submitted images of a species of Hawkmoth from the genus Cephonodes, and the two likeliest candidates are the Coffee Hawk Moth, Cephonodes hylas, which is pictured on Butterfly House, or the Gardenia Hawk Moth, Cephonodes kingii, which is also pictured on Butterfly House.
Thank you so much! You guys do such a great thing ☺️