Sphingidae - Hawkmoths, Sphinx Moths

The moths in this family have large bodies and a long proboscis that they use to eat nectar from flowering plants. Most species prefer flowers with a trumpet shape. Some species also feed on rotting fruit and sap.

The species in this family are fast and strong fliers and have very rapid wing beats. Many species hover in midair as they feed on nectar and are often mistaken for bees or hummingbirds!

Caterpillars in this family are usually stout and green or reddish in color. In some species, like the tomato hornworm and the tobacco hornworm, caterpillars have a horn-like projection at the end of their abdomen.

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

New Hampshire Species		Species Found in the U.S.
Azalea Sphinx Bedstraw Hawkmoth Blinded Sphinx Elm Sphinx Five-spotted Hawkmoth Great Ash Sphinx Grote's Sphinx Hermit Sphinx Hummingbird Clearwing Laurel Sphinx Lettered Sphinx Modest Sphinx Nessus Sphinx Northern Pine Sphinx One-eyed Sphinx Pawpaw Sphinx Poecila Sphinx Slender Clearwing Small-eyed Sphinx Snowberry Clearwing Southern Pine Sphinx Twin-spotted Sphinx Virginia Creeper Sphinx Walnut Sphinx Waved Sphinx White-lined Sphinx Wild Cherry Sphinx		Fadus Sphinx Falcon Sphinx False-windowed Sphinx Fig Sphinx Franck's Sphinx Gaudy Sphinx Gemmed Sphinx Giant Sphinx Gulf Pine Sphinx Hagen's Sphinx Half-blind Sphinx Hartweg's Sphinx Huckleberry Sphinx Hydrangea Sphinx Incense Cedar Sphinx Intermediate Sphinx Istar Sphinx Juanita Sphinx Kern Primrose Sphinx - Euproserpinus euterpe Lassaux's Sphinx Libya Sphinx Mournful Sphinx Muscosa Sphinx Obscure Sphinx Occult Sphinx Oenotrus Sphinx Pacific Green Sphinx Pandorus Sphinx Parce Sphinx Phaeton Primrose Sphinx Pine Hawkmoth Pink-spotted Hawkmoth Plebeian Sphinx Pluto Sphinx Porcus Sphinx Proud Sphinx Rimosus Sphinx Rocky Mountain Clearwing Rustic Sphinx Sage Sphinx Salicet Sphinx Satellite Sphinx Separated Sphinx Sequoia Sphinx Smith's Sphinx Sonoran Sphinx Spurge Hawkmoth Spurious Sphinx Streaked Sphinx Tantalus Sphinx Terloo Sphinx Tersa Sphinx Tetrio Sphinx Titan Sphinx Typhon Sphinx Vashti Sphinx Vega Sphinx Vine Sphinx White-plagued Sphinx Wiest's Primrose Sphinx Yellow-banded Sphinx
Species Found in the U.S.
Abbott's Sphinx Achemon Sphinx Alope Sphinx Anchemola Sphinx Apple Sphinx Asella Sphinx Ash Sphinx Baldcypress Sphinx Banded Sphinx Big poplar Sphinx Blackburn's Sphinx - Manduca blackburni Blanchards' Amplypterus Brown and Yellow Sphinx Caicus Sphinx Canadian Sphinx Carolina Sphinx Carter's Sphinx Catalpa Sphinx Chisoya Sphinx Clark's Sphinx Clavipes Sphinx Clemen's Sphinx Cluentius Sphinx Cramer's Sphinx Doll's Sphinx Duponchel's Sphinx Eacus Sphinx Elegant Sphinx Ello Sphinx Elsa Sphinx