SPHINGIDAE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Sphinx

Linnaeus, 1758

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The genus Sphinx has 10 species in the USA, and about 29 around the world.

Type specimen: Sphinx ligustri - Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: N/A

General Information: These are medium to large moths, most have mottled forewings of various coloration. The abdomens often have spotting running down the sides.

If you have narrowed something down to this genus, you can use this key to help you narrow down your search to species: 
​1: Forewing distinctly light brown (2)
1’: Forewing not distinctly light brown (3)
 
2: Forewing evenly brown, often with some black/white streaking. The subterminal area is black… Sphinx kalmiae
2’: Forewing brown but getting much grayer toward the costa giving it a bicolored appearance. The thorax is gray with a hollow brown bell-shaped mark… Sphinx franckii
 
3: Very large moth, white-gray forewing color with little to no maculation. The forewing is extremely large (<60mm). A rare stray…. Sphinx leucophaeta
3’: Forewing is less than 60mm in length, and otherwise not as above (4)
 
4: Thorax coloration is very dark with no lighter coloration in the middle (5)
4’: Thorax coloration is light, usually gray, with some black lines, but is light in the center (9)
 
5: Forewing mostly gray/gray-brown (6)
5’: Forewing gray with darker areas, but always having a light patch from the basal area to the discal area (8)
 
6: Forewing gray-brown with a black submarginal area. The hindwings are distinctly yellow in males, and more of a creamy yellow in females… Sphinx luscitiosa
6’: Not as above (7)
 
7: The ground color of the wings is gray. There may be very dark black streaking. The submarginal area is distinctly darker than the ground color of the wings… Sphinx gordius
7’: The ground color of the wings is gray. There may be very dark-gray or black streaking. The submarginal area is NOT darker than the ground color of the wings… Sphinx poecila
 
8: Forewings are distinctly gray with a large dark black area running from apex to basal area of the forewing. The submarginal area is outlined by a white line… Sphinx drupiferarum
8’: Forewings are gray with a darker (not always black) medial area. There is a wavy black subterminal line. The hindwing fringe is checkered black and white and the adjacent area on the wing is dark… Sphinx perelegans
 
9: Forewing length is extremely small (>30mm) in length (10)
9’: Not as above (11)
 
10: Small moth, forewings gray with a brown cast. There is a large bold streak running from the apex to the base of the forewing… Sphinx dollii
10’: Small moth, forewings gray with bluish cast. There is a small black dash in the apex and basal area of the wing, but no streak connecting the dashes… Sphinx sequoia
 
11: Forewing gray with many gray/white/brown dashes. The thorax is overall gray but is outlined in white and the inner section has two black bands bordered on the inside by white. There may be a white streak in the very center of the thorax… Sphinx canadensis
11’: Not as above (12)
 
12: The abdomen of the moth has a noticeable black line running down the center starting in between the first pair of white markings and running to the end of the abdomen (13)
12’: The abdomen lacks a black line down the center. The moth is usually quite large and gray. The thorax is gray with only one pair of black lines on it… Sphinx chersis
 
13: The black line in the submarginal area is wavy, toothed, or jagged (14)
13’: The black line in the submarginal area is essentially entirely smooth (15)
 
14: The black line from the apex of the forewing to the basal area is almost entirely continuous. There are 2 pairs of black lines on the thorax… Sphinx libocedrus
14’: The black wavy submarginal line is highlighted by a white-gray area around it. The forewings may have a purplish tint. Currently all records are from Texas… Sphinx chisoya
 
15: There is a series of black dashes that runs the forewings from the apex to the base almost in a line. The overall appearance of this moth is a smooth dark gray color. The throax has 2 pairs of black lines on it, though the outermost pair may be quite faint… Sphinx asellus
15’: The straight submarginal line is bordered by a lighter area. The thorax has one pair of thick black lines with a gray region in the middle… Sphinx vashti

​
​Species List:
Sphinx chersis
Sphinx vashti
Sphinx libocedrus
Sphinx perelegans
Sphinx asellus
Sphinx canadensis
Sphinx franckii
Sphinx kalmiae
Sphinx gordius
Sphinx poecila
Sphinx luscitiosa
Sphinx drupiferarum

Sphinx dollii
Sphinx sequoiae
Sphinx chisoya
Sphinx leucophaeata

Sphinx pinastri

The gallery below shows photos of select species in the genus.
Sphinx franckii (C) Teá Montagna
Sphinx drupiferarum (C) Teá Montagna
Sphinx canadensis (C) Jennifer Murdoch
Sphinx chersis (C) Brian Klassanos
Sphinx kalmiae (C) Teá Montagna

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Macroglossinae

Aellopos clavipes
Aellopos fadus
Aellopos tantalus
Aellopos titan
Amphion floridensis
Cautethia grotei
Callionima falcifera
Callionima parce
Darapsa choerilus
Darapsa myron
Darapsa versicolor
Deidemia inscriptum
Enyo lugubris
Enyo ocypete
Erinnyis alope
Erinnyis crameri
Erinnyis ello
Erinnyis guttularis
Erinnyis lassauxii
Erinnyis oenotrus
Erinnyis obscura
Eumorpha achemon
Eumorpha fasciatus
Eumorpha intermedia
Eumorpha labruscae
Eumorpha pandorus
Eumorpha satellitia
Eumorpha vitis
Eumorpha typhon
Eupyrrhoglossum sagra​
Hemaris diffinis
Hemaris gracilis
Hemaris thysbe
Hyles euphorbiae
Hyles gallii
Hyles lineata
Madoryx pseudothyreus
Pachylioides resumens
Pachylia ficus
Perigonia lusca
Phryxus caicus
Proserpinus flavofasciata
Proserpinus juanita
Proserpinus gaurae
Proserpinus lucidus
Pseudosphinx tetrio
Sphecodina abbottii
Xylophanes falco
Xylophanes pluto
Xylophanes libya
Xylophanes porcus
Xylophanes tersa

Smerinthinae

Protambulyx strigilis
Amorpha juglandis
Pachysphinx modesta
Pachysphinx occidentalis
Paonias astylus
Paonias excaecata
Paonias myops
Smerinthus cerisyi
Smerinthus jamaicensis

Sphinginae

Agrius cingulata
Ceratomia amyntor
Ceratomia catalpae
Ceratomia hageni
Ceratomia undulosa
Cocytius antaeus
Cocytius duponchel
Dolba hyloeus
Isoparce cupressi
Lapara bombycoides
Lapara coniferarum
Lintneria istar
Lintneria separatus
Lintneria eremitus
Manduca jasminearum
Manduca occulta
Manduca brontes cubensis
Manduca florestan
Manduca muscosa
Manduca quinquemaculatus
Manduca rustica
Manduca sexta
Neococytius cluentius
Paratrea plebeja
Sphinx canadensis
Sphinx chersis
Sphinx dollii
Sphinx drupiferarum
Sphinx frankii
Sphinx gordius
Sphinx kalmiae
Sphinx leucophaeata
Sphinx luscitiosa
Sphinx pinastri
Sphinx poecila 
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  • Home
  • Sphingidae Index
    • Macroglossinae >
      • Aellopos >
        • Aellopos clavipes
        • Aellopos fadus
        • Aellopos tantalus
        • Aellopos titan
      • Amphion >
        • Amphion floridensis
      • Callionima >
        • Callionima falcifera
        • Callionima parce
      • Cautethia >
        • Cautethia grotei
      • Darapsa >
        • Darapsa versicolor
        • Darapsa myron
        • Darapsa choerilus
      • Deidamia >
        • Deidamia inscriptum
      • Enyo >
        • Enyo lugubris
        • Enyo ocypete
      • Erinnyis >
        • Erinnyis alope
        • Erinnyis crameri
        • Erinnyis ello
        • Erinnyis guttularis
        • Erinnyis lassauxii
        • Erinnyis oenotrus
        • Erinnyis obscura
      • Eumorpha >
        • Eumorpha pandorus
        • Eumorpha achemon
        • Eumorpha fasciatus
        • Eumorpha satellitia
        • Eumorpha labruscae
        • Eumorpha intermedia
        • Eumorpha vitis
        • Eumorpha typhon
      • Eupyrrhoglossum >
        • Eupyrrhoglossum sagra
      • Hemaris >
        • Hemaris thysbe
        • Hemaris gracilis
        • Hemaris diffinis
        • Hemaris aethra
      • Hyles >
        • Hyles gallii
        • Hyles euphorbiae
        • Hyles lineata
      • Madoryx >
        • Madoryx pseudothyreus
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        • Pachylioides resumens
      • Pachylia >
        • Pachylia ficus
      • Phryxus >
        • Phryxus caicus
      • Perigonia >
        • Perigonia lusca
      • Proserpinus >
        • Proserpinus juanita
        • Proserpinus flavofasciata
        • Proserpinus gaurae
        • Proserpinus lucidus
        • Proserpinus terlooii
      • Pseudosphinx >
        • Pseudosphinx tetrio
      • Sphecodina >
        • Sphecodina abbottii
      • Xylophanes >
        • Xylophanes falco
        • Xylophanes libya
        • Xylophanes pluto
        • Xylophanes porcus
        • Xylophanes tersa
    • Smerinthinae >
      • Amorpha >
        • Amorpha juglandis
      • Pachysphinx >
        • Pachysphinx modesta
        • Pachysphinx occidentalis
      • Paonias >
        • Paonias excaecata
        • Paonias myops
        • Paonias astylus
      • Protambulyx >
        • Protambulyx strigilis
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    • Sphinginae >
      • Agrius >
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        • Dolba hyloeus
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        • Isoparce cupressi
      • Lapara >
        • Lapara coniferarum
        • Lapara bombycoides
      • Lintneria >
        • Lintneria eremitus
        • Lintneria istar
        • Lintneria separatus
      • Manduca >
        • Manduca brontes cubensis
        • Manduca jasminearum
        • Manduca muscosa
        • Manduca occulta
        • Manduca florestan
        • Manduca quinquemaculatus
        • Manduca rustica
        • Manduca sexta
      • Neococytius >
        • Neococytius cluentius
      • Paratrea >
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      • Sphinx >
        • Sphinx canadensis
        • Sphinx chersis
        • Sphinx dollii
        • Sphinx drupiferarum
        • Sphinx franckii
        • Sphinx kalmiae
        • Sphinx leucophaeata
        • Sphinx luscitiosa
        • Sphinx poecila
        • Sphinx gordius
        • Sphinx pinastri
  • Final Instar Larva Key
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  • Range
  • General Information
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