Sphinx chersis

Common Name(s): Great Ash Sphinx

Ecology:

Adult description:
This is a large sphingid. In the East, it’s easily recognizable because of its large size, plain gray wings with minimal maculation. Eastern populations tend to have rounded wingtips whereas western populations tend to have more pointed ones. In the Southwest, this species may be confused with Sphinx asellus. The general differences between the two include Sphinx chersis being larger and only having one set of parallel black lines on the thorax. In Sphinx asellus there are generally two pairs of black lines on the thorax, though the second pair can be extremely faint (1).

Larval description:
L5: This is a large green to blue-green hornworm with a long, distinctive blue horn which may have a faint red tip. There are again 7 white stripes along the abdominal segments of the larva. There are additional darker stripes (usually blue in color) above the white stripes.

Host plants:

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The gallery to the left contains photos of Sphinx chersis adults. If you have a photo that you would like to submit to us, please contact us.

The gallery to the right contains photos of Sphinx chersis larval and pupal stages. If you have a photo that you would like to submit to us, please contact us.