#Sphinx moth

[onenicebugperday]

Death’s head hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, Sphingidae

Photographed by Matthieu Berroneau

Shared with permission; do not remove credit or re-post!

[textless]

A sphinx moth enjoying moonflowers in the garden.

Cochise County, Arizona, September 2023.

[autisticplants]

i found lots of different Eumorpha fasciatus caterpillar color morphs today!

[celestial-games]

This post is for hummingbird clearwing enjoyers only :]

Support my work on patreon | bug discord

[herpsandbirds]

Pellucid Hawk Moth aka Coffee Bean Moth (Cephonodes hylas), family Sphingidae, Japan

Diurnal moth.

photograph by Yama Shigi

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

I was coming back in after a disappointing night at the lights last week, and came across this glorious chonkbeast on some Virginia creeper growing under my porch. This is a Pandora sphinx moth caterpillar (Eumorpha pandorus). Look at its squishy little donut feeties!!

[jenfoundabug]

I love sphinx moths. They're so chunky <3 Twin-spotted sphinx (Smerinthus jamaicensis)

Northeastern Pennsylvania, US

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

[mothmonarch]

"The Star Keepers" metallic stickers are here and ready to shine! 💫

I'm so excited about how fantastic this design turned out in sticker format. They're available in the shop now alongside restocks of That's a Good Bumble and the black-and-metallic-gold Celestial Cat!

These and many, many more unique delights by one independent artist only at 🐛 shop.mothmonar.ch! ✨

[moths-daily]

Moth Of The Day #124

Pandora Sphinx Moth / Pandorus Sphinx Moth

Eumorpha pandorus

From the sphingidae family. They have a wingspan of 8.3-11.7 cm. They can be found throughout most of North America.

[bugkeeping]

Carolina sphinx Manduca sexta

[onenicebugperday]

Sphinx moth larva (last instar), pupa, and adult

Isognathus caricae, Sphingidae

Photographed in Brazil by mazzeip

[textless]

[miyrumiyru]

80mm wingspan moth is casually charge to your face ♥

줄박각시 (Theretra japonica)

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Abbott's Sphinx Moth: this caterpillar has a false eye on its rump; it mimics the features of a vertebrate's eye, and even includes a white reflection spot

The formal name for this species is Sphecodina abbottii.

From Minnesota Seasons:

The caterpillar is up to 3″ (7.5 cm) long. Middle stage (instar) caterpillars are whitish to bluish-green. In place of the horn found on other sphinx caterpillars, there is a raised orange knob on the eighth abdominal segment (A8). Final instar caterpillars come in two color forms. The brown color form has longitudinal streaks of light and dark brown mimicking the color of a woody vine. The green form has on each abdominal segment a large, pale green, saddle-shaped spot on the upper side and a similar smaller spot on each side. The pattern is said to mimic a bunch of unripe grapes. Both forms have a black, raised, eye-like knob on A8 complete with a small white spot mimicking reflected light.

When the caterpillar is pinched or poked, it often squeaks and bites at the attacker.

The fully-developed moth also has a unique appearance -- it has an ash-grey/blue coloration with streaks of pink and black.

Sources & More Info:

Encyclopedia of Life: Sphecodina abbottii

Insect Identification: Abbott's Sphinx Moth

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Saukeville Field Station

Minnesota Seasons: Abbott's Sphinx Moth

University of Minnesota Garden Extension: Abbott's Sphinx

[herpsandbirds]

Oleander Sphinx Moth (Daphnis nerii), family Sphingidae, India

photograph by Shantanu Kuveskar