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- ›Sphinx Moths
- ›Sphinginae
- ›Sphingini
- ›Sphingina
Sphinx
The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths; many of their caterpillars are known as hornworms. The family includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them. Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Some hawk moths, such as the hummingbird hawk-moth and the white-lined sphinx, hover in midair while they feed on nectar from flowers, so are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds. This hovering capability is only known to have evolved four times in nectar feeders: in hummingbirds, certain bats, hoverflies, and these sphingids (an example of convergent evolution). Sphingids have been studied for their flying ability, especially their ability to move rapidly from side to side while hovering, called "swing-hovering" or "side-slipping". This is thought to have evolved to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers.
41 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Pine Hawkmoth
speciesSphinx pinastri
Privet Hawkmoth
speciesSphinx ligustri
Laurel Sphinx
speciesSphinx kalmiae
Apple Sphinxes
complexSphinx gordius
Great Ash Sphinx
speciesSphinx chersis
Vashti Sphinx
speciesSphinx vashti
Elegant Sphinx
speciesSphinx perelegans
Wild Cherry Sphinx
speciesSphinx drupiferarum
southern pine hawkmoth
speciesSphinx maurorum
Canadian Sphinx
speciesSphinx canadensis
Doll's Sphinx
speciesSphinx dollii
Sphinx vanbuskirki
speciesSphinx vanbuskirki
Incense Cedar Sphinx
speciesSphinx libocedrus
Sphinx morio
speciesSphinx morio
Sequoia Sphinx
speciesSphinx sequoiae
Clemens' Sphinx
speciesSphinx luscitiosa
Sphinx leucophaeata
speciesSphinx leucophaeata
Franck's Sphinx
speciesSphinx franckii
Sphinx caligineus
speciesSphinx caligineus
Asellus Sphinx
speciesSphinx asellus
Sphinx constricta
speciesSphinx constricta
Sphinx oberthueri
speciesSphinx oberthueri
Sphinx centrovietnama
speciesSphinx centrovietnama
Sphinx crassistriga
speciesSphinx crassistriga
Sphinx oslari
speciesSphinx oslari
Sphinx bhutana
speciesSphinx bhutana
Sphinx formosana
speciesSphinx formosana
Sphinx centrosinaria
speciesSphinx centrosinaria
Sphinx adumbrata
speciesSphinx adumbrata
Sphinx balsae
speciesSphinx balsae
Sphinx pitzahuac
speciesSphinx pitzahuac
Sphinx praelongus
speciesSphinx praelongus
Sphinx pseudostigmatica
speciesSphinx pseudostigmatica
Sphinx xantus
speciesSphinx xantus
Sphinx biolleyi
speciesSphinx biolleyi
Sphinx schieffermilleri
speciesSphinx schieffermilleri
Sphinx oenotherae
speciesSphinx oenotherae
Sphinx tricolor
speciesSphinx tricolor
Sphinx oberthuri
speciesSphinx oberthuri
Sphinx nogueirai
speciesSphinx nogueirai
Chisoya Sphinx
speciesSphinx chisoya
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Ornithology
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.668
Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des singes et des makis (1800)
Jean Baptiste Audebert · 1800 · p.79
Ornithology
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.666
Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des singes et des makis (1800)
Jean Baptiste Audebert · 1800 · p.95
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Sphinx in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 70131.