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Natural History
Sphinx Moths
(Family Sphingidae) In British Columbia: Biological Notes and Field Key,
Based on Specimens in the Collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum
Christopher
Borkent and Laura Greenway
April 1997
Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Introduction to the Order Lepidoptera
Introduction to the Family Sphingidae
Species Information:
Key to the Sphingidae
of British Columbia
Discussion and Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Literature
Cited
Abstract
This report focuses on the 16 species of the Family Sphingidae (Sphinx
or Hawk Moths) which are found in British Columbia. A general introduction
to the Order Lepidoptera, as well as the Sphingidae, is included. Species
descriptions, detailing physical characteristics, habitat, habits, food
plants, and flight periods were compiled. Using collection information
from the Royal British Columbia Museum, distribution maps for each species
were created using the GIS program, ARCView. These were used to assess
the need for future collections. A key to the adult Sphingidae was also
written and included.
Introduction
Forest Renewal British Columbia (FRBC), a government-based program funded
by the forest industry, was formed to create sustainable forest wealth
through forest renewal and more intensive forest management (FRBC, 1996).
The importance of high quality, resource inventory information for successful
forest management has been recognized. FRBC has allocated funds to improve
the accessibility of biological information in the Royal British Columbia
Museum (RBCM).
The RBCM has approximately 200,000 insect specimens
in the entomology collection. Most of these specimens bear labels with
the date, location and collector's name. Some specimens may have additional
information associated with them such as site description, behavior, host
or collection method. This type of information is not easily accessed
by researchers or the public. Funds from FRBC have enabled the RBCM to
hire co-operative education students to enter the entomology collection
information into a computer database. Reports and species distribution
maps, based on the information in this database, are also produced by
the students.
The Collections Information Entry and Reporting
Application (CIERA), is a FoxPro database designed specifically for accessioning
RBCM specimens. Every specimen in the collection is assigned a unique
alpha-numeric catalogue number that is used to identify and locate the
specimen record in the computer. Almost every insect in the collection
has been accessioned but many have only a skeletal record in the database.
Most records need to be updated with detailed information to make them
useful for research purposes. Before specimen records are updated, the
specimens must be identified to species by an expert in the group and
if the collection location is known, the Universal Transverse Mercator
(UTM) coordinates are determined.
This report deals with the Hawk Moths or Sphinx
moths, (Order Lepidoptera, Family Sphingidae). This family was examined
because the RBCM collection contains all 16 British Columbian species
with updated identification and database records. The bright colours and
large size of the adults, make them popular insects with collectors and
naturalists. A summary report on the status of this group in the province
would be useful to many people.
The purpose of this report is to produce distribution
maps of the 16 species present in British Columbia and summarize the collections
information about them. This will help clarify what information is lacking
and what areas need to be focused on in future research projects. This
report contains a general introduction to the order Lepidoptera and a
more detailed introduction to the family which will be useful for amateur
collectors who wish to know more about Hawk Moths. A key based mainly
on colour patterns, simpler than most existing keys, has also been developed
and presented.
Materials and
Methods
Species distribution maps for the 16 species of Sphinx or Hawk Moths in
British Columbia were generated by mapping RBCM collections information
using data files generated from CIERA. As CIERA records were updated,
the collection sites were located on 1:50 000 topographic maps and the
UTM coordinates were estimated to a precision of 100 m. Often the exact
location had to be estimated if the location name was too general, so
the precision was considerably less.
The coordinates of collection locations were
plotted on maps of British Columbia using the geographical information
system (GIS), ARCView. A data file containing the UTM coordinates was
generated using CIERA. Since UTM coordinates can not be used with ARCView,
they had to be converted to decimal latitudes and longitudes before being
plotted using ARCView. Only specimens in the RBCM collection, which were
collected in British Columbia, were plotted.
A key to the British Colombian species of Sphingidae
was made mainly using colour and morphological characters of the adults.
Species descriptions in Eliot and Soule (1902), Hodges (1971), Holland
(1903), Arnett (1985),and Milne and Milne (1980) were consulted to make
the key. Our own observations of specimens from the collection were also
used. Species descriptions detailing size, colour, flight period, habitat
and range were also made using these sources.
Photographs of representative specimens in the
collection were taken using 100 ASA Ektachrome slide film. These photos
were digitized and printed. All photos were taken by C. Borkent and L.
Greenaway unless otherwise noted.
Introduction to the Order
Lepidoptera
The Order Lepidoptera encompasses butterflies and moths, common insects
recognized by most people. It is a large order with more than 11,000 described
species occurring in Canada and the United States (Borror et al, 1989)
and representatives are found in a wide variety of habitats. The Lepidoptera
have always been very popular among collectors and naturalists, and many
species are economically important.
The most distinctive feature of adult Lepidoptera
is the occurrence of scales on both pairs of wings. These scales are often
brightly coloured, forming distinct patterns; in fact, the Latin name
Lepidoptera means "scaly wings". A few species have wingless females (Arnett,
1985). The mouthparts are modified for sucking with a well developed,
long coiled proboscis, formed by the maxillae. Some species have vestigial
mouthparts and do not feed as adults. One family has chewing mouthparts.
Adults feed on nectar, sap, fruit and decaying animal or plant products.
Lepidopterans are holometabolous, which means
a pupal stage occurs between the larval and adult stages. In this pupa,
the larval structures are radically modified into the adult form. The
immature and adult stages look completely different and have very different
habits. The larvae are commonly called caterpillars and have a cylindrical
body with 13 segments and a well developed head. There are three pairs
of legs on the thorax and prolegs (stout, unsegmented lobes) usually on
abdominal segments 3-6 and 10. Caterpillars may be confused with Sawfly
larvae (Order Hymenoptera) but the latter have prolegs on at least six,
and up to eight, abdominal segments. Caterpillars usually feed on plants,
often becoming serious pests, but a few are predacious on other insects.
Following the last larval instar, the insect transforms into the pupa.
The pupae are ordinarily obtect which means the appendages are firmly
attached to the body. This is a non-feeding, and usually inactive, stage
during which the insect finally matures into an adult. Most larvae spin
silken cocoons and pupate inside but others do not make a cocoon.
Introduction to
the Family Sphingidae (Sphinx or Hawk Moths)
The Sphinx or Hawk Moths are members of the Order Lepidoptera and are
represented by 1100 species world wide (Arnett, 1985). Approximately 125
occur in North America (Borror et al, 1989) with 16 in British Columbia.
They are mostly medium to large sized moths; in British Columbia wingspans
range from around 38 mm to 140 mm. Their forewings are often 2 to 3 times
longer than the hindwings, and have either eleven or twelve veins whereas
the hindwings have only eight veins.
The Sphingidae have a protruding head with large
eyes, a large thorax and a narrowly conical abdomen which protrudes well
beyond the hind wings when the moth is flying, giving the body a spindle-like
shape. This heavy body and small wing area (compared to butterflies) means
that the moths must have a rapid wing beat to stay aloft. Sphinx moths
are therefore quite strong flyers. The proboscis is as long as, or longer
than, the moth's body. This proboscis is mostly used to feed on flowers
with long trumpet-like shapes while the moth hovers in place. Thus people
often mistake the larger, diurnal species for hummingbirds. Although there
are a few diurnal species, most sphingids are active at dawn, dusk, and
night.
Larvae
are usually large and greenish with stripes along the sides and a horn
or button on the dorsum of the eighth segment. The anterior segments can
telescope into one another when the larva is alarmed or at rest. When
alarmed, larvae often rear up, giving them the appearance that some imaginative
people thought looked like the Sphinx. The larvae are solitary feeders
and often eat specific food plants (Holland, 1903). Many of the larvae
are economically important as pests and feed on many different crops such
as tomatoes and tobacco.
The Sphingidae generally pupate in a silk case
in leaf litter or 50 - 100 mm deep in the soil (Essig, 1926). Some, such
as Manduca quinquemaculata, have a long sheath for the developing proboscis.
Most pupae are a medium to dark brown in colour.
Hemaris diffinis
(Boisduval), Snowberry Clearwing
Left:
Larva of Hemaris diffinis (photo G.A. Hardy).
Right: Adult Hemaris diffinis
Size:
Wingspan 35 - 47 mm (40 specimens measured)
Description: Adult: Bumblebee-like,
with yellow and black banding; thorax sometimes olive-green; wings with
clear areas devoid of scales after first flight; dark, outer margins of
forewings wide but tapering anteriorly.
Larva: The five instars are each
a different colour, usually with a blue-black horn with yellow on the
base or sides. The last instar is pale green on the dorsum and darker
green on the sides; white granules on body; longitudinal brown stripes
on the underside; legs almost white and barred with dark brown; double
row of yellow granules on first segment and projecting over head; caudal
horn bright yellow at base and blue-black at the tip.
Flight Period: Spring to midsummer.
This species is double brooded in southern British Columbia.
Habitat and Habit: This moth hovers
over flowers in full sunlight, producing a buzzing sound with its wings,
similar to that of a hummingbird. Larvae feed on dogbane (Apocynum spp.),
snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.) and honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.).
Range: From Nova Scotia to Florida,
west to California and north to the Northwest Territories. Distribution
information available from the RBCM.
Hemaris thysbe
(Fabricius), Humming-bird Moth,
Common Clear-wing
Size:
Wingspan 38 - 50 mm.
Description: Adult: Wings initially
plum-red to brownish black, but some scales drop off after first flight
leaving clear areas mostly devoid of scales; cell of forewing with a medial
row of scales; dark margin outlining forewing; Body-spindle shaped and
mostly olive green but sometimes more reddish-brown; ventral surface of
abdomen red brown to dark brown.
Larva: Yellowish-green with darker
green lines and reddish-brown spots on abdomen. Horn yellow.
Flight Period: May to September.
Habitat and Habit: Forest edges,
meadows and cultivated flower gardens. Adults hover while taking nectar.
Range: From Newfoundland, south
to Florida, west to Texas, north along the eastern Great Plains, west
to British Columbia and north to Alaska and the Northwest Territories.
Distribution information available from the RBCM.
Hyles gallii
(Rottenburg)
Size: Wingspan up to 75 mm.
Description: Adult: Red band across
hindwing from posterior to anterior edge; forewings brown with a broad
light coloured stripe along long axis of wing; no thin white lines as
in H. lineata. Abdomen brown with alternating black and white patches,
separated by 3 pale dorsal lines broken lengthwise, dorsal broken line
of white.
Larva: Can be red brown, brown to
black or greenish; paired, dorsolateral spots from the first through eleventh
segments (smaller on the first two segments); last pair of spots are more
elongate and run to the base of the caudal horn; ventral to these are
a series of yellow dots arranged in transverse rows; spiracles pale yellow;
legs are marked with black except for the anal prolegs; caudal horn usually
black.
Flight Period: May to August.
Habitat and Habit: Larva feed on
fireweed (Epilobium spp.), woodruff (Asperula spp.), bedstraw (Galium
spp.) and Clarkia spp.
Range: Across northern North America
from the east coast to Colorado and California, north to the Yukon and
Northwest Territories. Distribution information available from the RBCM.
Hyles lineata
(Fabricius), White-lined Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 65 - 90 mm.
Description: Adult: Forewings brown
with a broad light tan stripe along long axis of wing; veins outlined
with white. Hindwing dark brown with a broad buff-coloured band across
the middle. Abdomen with a pink band not reaching the tip; alternating
black and white patches; dorsal white line edged with black broken on
the basal segments.
Larva: Highly variable in colouration
but generally with a lined appearance; some are black with a pattern of
yellow; some are mainly yellow with a black pattern; head is usually pale
yellow; horn is yellow or yellow and black.
Flight Period: April to October.
Habitat and Habit: Meadows and
gardens. These moths whir like humming birds and can be found in gardens
at flowers at dusk or in darkness. They are attracted to artificial light.
The larval food plants are diverse: including the foliage of portulaca,
chickweed (Cerastium spp.), fireweed (Epilobium spp.) four o'clock (Mirabilis
spp.) apple and pear (Pyrus spp.), plum (Prunus spp.)., grape (Vitis spp.)
and forage plants such as buckwheat.
Range: Throughout North America
except for the far north. Distribution information available from the
RBCM.
Manduca quinquemaculata
(Haworth), Tomato Hornworm, Five-spotted Hawkmoth
Size: Wingspan 90 - 110 mm.
Description: Adult: Gray or brownish
wings with light areas on the outer forewings and two dark zigzag lines
crossing middle of wing; five orange-yellow spots along each side of the
abdomen.
Larva: Pale or dark green with black
horn; V-shaped white mark on the side of each segment.
Flight Period: Summer to fall.
Habitat and Habit: Open areas,
especially those under cultivation. Larvae feed on species of the nightshade
family (Solanaceae) such as tomato and tobacco. The larvae can be serious
pests.
Range: Common from North Carolina
north to Nova Scotia and Ontario, west to southern British Columbia. Uncommon
in southeast North America. Distribution information available from the
RBCM.
Paonias
excaecatus (J.E. Smith), Blinded Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 60 to 85 mm.
Description: Adult: Hindwings have
a broad flush of pink at the base and a blue eyespot ringed with black;
underside of the forewing is broadly pink at the base; outer margins are
strongly scalloped and the inner portions of the scallops are margined
with white. In males, the colour of the forewings varies from generally
dark brown to pale yellow brown or pale gray. The females are a more yellowish
brown.
Larva: Pale yellowish green, heavily
granulose, with seven pairs of oblique, yellow stripes; near the dorsal
part of each stripe is a red blotch; these blotches are paired on each
segment; first 3 segments have a yellow dorsolateral line.
Flight Period: May to July.
Habitat: Food plants include willow
(Salix spp.), Plum and cherry (Prunus spp.), Apple (Pyrus malus), Roses
(Rosa spp.), poplar (Populus spp.), Birch (Betula spp.), Elm (Ulnus spp.),
and other trees.
Range: Eastern USA, and Canada,
west to British Columbia, south along the Rocky Mountains to Arizona,
west to the Sierra Nevada and Coastal Ranges of northern California. Distribution
information available from the RBCM.
Paonias myops
(J.E. Smith), Small-eyed Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 52 - 69 mm (15 specimens
measured).
Description: Adult: Hindwing yellowish
to orange with a light blue eyespot ringed with black; forewing reddish-brown
with a series of wavy lines on the outer three-fourths of the forewing,
outer margin slightly scalloped.
Larva: 6 pairs of yellow, oblique
lines on a medium green body; pair of yellow lines on the lateral margins
of the head that meet between the eyes; yellow line on the dorsal margin
of the anal opening; two pairs of brown to reddish-brown blotches on many
of the body segments, one set dorsal to the oblique lines, the other surrounding
the spiracles.
Flight Period: June and July.
Habitat and Habit: Larvae found
on chokecherry (Prunus virginiana L.), cherry (Prunus spp.), sour cherry
(Prunus cerasus L.), Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier spp.) and grape (Vitis
spp.).
Range: From Nova Scotia south to
northern Florida, west to British Columbia and down the Rocky Mountain
system to Arizona. Distribution information available from the RBCM.
Pachysphinx modesta
(Harris), Modest Sphinx, Big Poplar Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 90 - 140 mm.
Description: Adult: Forewings with
wide alternating bands coloured mouse-gray to velvet brown; hind wings
suffused with red or purple and blue-gray at the base; body tan to dark
brown.
Larva: Whitish-green with 7 pairs
of oblique white lines; surface of body covered with white or pale excrescences
arranged in transverse rings; head pink medially and a pair of broad,
white bands; granulose integument; horn very short.
Flight Period: May to August.
Habitat and Habit: Deciduous and
mixed forests. Larval food plants are willow (Salix spp.) and poplar (Populus
spp.)
Range: Most of North America. Nova
Scotia south to Florida, west to Texas, north on the Great Plains to Alberta,
west to British Columbia and perhaps Oregon, and south along the Rocky
Mountains to central Colorado. Distribution information available from
the RBCM.
Proserpinus clarkiae
(Boisduval), Clark's Day Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 32 - 42 (42 specimens
measured).
Description: Adult: Body olive coloured;
abdominal segments edged with white; hindwings bright yellow-orange with
a black margin; forewing with alternating dark and light bands from posterior
to anterior edge.
Larva: not well known, no description
available.
Flight Period: April to early summer.
Habitat and Habit: Larva may feed
on Clarkia, a member of the evening primrose family. Adults found around
flowers in the summer.
Range: Western in distribution,
ranges from Northern Baja California, north to British Columbia, east
to Alberta, Idaho and Colorado. Distribution information available from
the RBCM.
Proserpinus flavofasciata
(Walker), Yellow-banded Day Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 39 - 49 mm (27 specimens
measured).
Description: Adult: Bumblebee mimic;
body black, gray and yellow; forewings dark brown with light band from
anterior to posterior margin; band of yellow on hindwing does not reach
inner margin.
Larva: Penultimate instar is pale
green with a pair of pale, dorsolateral lines running from the head to
the base of the short caudal horn. Last instar is brown with numerous
black dots; caudal horn replaced by a black button surrounded by a white
band edged with black.
Flight Period: April to June.
Habitat and Habit: Larva feeds
on fireweed (Epilobium spp.) and thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus Nutt.)
Range: Across the northern part
of North America from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and Alaska, rare
in the east. Distribution information available from the RBCM.
Smerinthus cerisyi
Kirby, Cerisy's Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 60 - 85 mm.
Description: Adult: Forewing marked
with contrasting light and dark gray or tawny brown bands; underside of
the forewing is a deep rosy colour on the basal half; outer margin of
the forewing is indented almost from the apex and the remainder of the
margin is not sinuous; blue eyespot of hindwing with a circular or diamond
shaped black centre.
Larva: Mature larva is pale yellow-green
to blue-green; the most notable marking is a pair of subdorsal, pale yellow
lines running from the head nearly to the caudal horn. There are also
6 pairs of oblique, white bands that touch the dorsal margins of the spiracles.
Flight Period: late spring through
midsummer.
Habitat and Habit: River margins
and low ground where willows grow. Larva feeds on willow (Salix spp.)
and poplar (Populus spp.).
Range: From Newfoundland to upstate
New York, west to British Columbia and south down the Rocky Mountains
to northern Arizona and New Mexico. South in the Cascade and Coast ranges
to the Sierra Nevada of California. Distribution information available
from the RBCM.
Smerinthus jamaicensis
(Drury), Twin-spot Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 60 - 85 mm.
Description: Adult: Hindwing red
with a blue eyespot divided in two by a black line; forewing brown with
light wavy lines; antennae of male pectinate.
Larvae: Blue-green with six (sometimes
trace of the seventh) oblique, pale greenish-white lateral bands; a pair
of subdorsal, lateral bands run from the first through fourth segments
and the entire surface is covered with pale greenish-white excrescences.
Some specimens have a dark dot on the first four segments just above the
line on the first and just above the oblique lines on the remaining segments.
Flight Period: June and July.
Habitat and Habit: Larva feeds
on poplar (Populus spp.), birch (Betula spp.), willow (Salix spp.), elm
(Ulnus spp.), ash (Fraximus spp.), apple (Pyrus spp.) and peach and plum
(Prunus spp.).
Range: Florida, north to Newfoundland,
west to Alberta and British Columbia and south along the Rocky Mountains
to northern Arizona. Distribution information available from the RBCM.
Sphinx chersis
(Hübner), Great Ash Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 100 - 128 mm.
Description: Adult: Dark gray; forewing
with three dark dashes and a fourth dark line running from the apex inward;
submarginal line poorly developed, wavy, often appearing as a dark gray
area; apex of forewing is more pointed in the males than in the females.
Larva: Pale bluish green; head has
a pair of yellow lateral bands meeting at the apex; oblique, lateral stripes
are pale and bordered anteriorly with a darker green; surface is generally
granulose, particularly the first three segments; first three segments
darker green or less blue green than the remainder of the body.
Habitat and Habit: Not well known
in British Columbia. Larvae feed on wild cherry (Prunus spp.), Trembling
Aspen (Populus tremuloides), ash (Fraximus spp.) and lilac (Syringa vulgaris).
Range: Central Florida, west to
California, north to British Columbia and east to Nova Scotia. The RBCM
has no specimens of this species from B.C.
Sphinx drupiferarum
J.E. Smith, Wild-cherry Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 75 - 115 mm.
Colours: Adult: Front third of
forewing white from base to two thirds the length, with the posterior
part nearly uniformly dark gray to black; central part of the thorax is
dark gray to black ; lateral margins of the tegula are pale gray. There
is variation in the intensity of the banding of the hindwing, the degree
of shading of the forewing colours, and in wing length. Older specimens
have a yellow-brown cast.
Larva: Dark green with 7 oblique
violet lines on sides and a purplish horn.
Flight Period: mid-May to mid-June.
Habitat: Deciduous forests and open
areas. Larvae feed on apple trees (Malus spp.) plum and wild cherry (Prunus
spp.), and lilac (Syringa vulgaris).
Range: From Nova Scotia south to
Georgia, west through Mississippi to Arkansas and Kansas, through the
northern Great Plains to Colorado, Utah, California and north to British
Columbia. Distribution information available from the RBCM.
Sphinx perelegans
Henry Edwards, Elegant Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 40 to 49 mm.
Description: Adult: (Plate 16) Thorax
dark; abdomen dark with five light bands running dorsoventrally; forewing
with a light gray area parallel to outer margin.
Larva: unknown.
Flight Period: June and July.
Habitat: Adult visits flowers of
evening primrose and rhododendrons. Larvae feed on snowberry (Symphoricarpos
spp.).
Range: British Columbia, south to
southern California and east to Colorado/Arizona. There is inadequate
collection information to determine the exact distribution.
Sphinx vashti
Strecker, Snowberry Sphinx
Size: Wingspan 68 to 94 mm (36 specimens measured).
Colours: Adult: Ground colour of
wings varies from pale gray to almost black; forewing with black subterminal
line bordered by a white V-shaped line on the outside, and a black line
running inwards from the apex of the wing; 2 black dashes and a series
of lines along some veins; thorax varies from pale gray to black with
5 light bands running dorso-ventrally.
Larva: Mature caterpillar is green
with 7 pairs of lateral, white, oblique bands which are bordered anteriorly
with black; horn is smooth and black.
Flight Period: April to August.
Habitat: The caterpillar feeds on
the common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus).
Range: From Texas west to California,
north to British Columbia and east to Manitoba. Distribution information
available from the RBCM.
A Key
to the Sphingidae (Sphinx Moths) of British Columbia
1a) Wings with transparent areas (scales missing):
2
1b) Wings completely covered with scales: 3
2a) Body and wings usually
a ruddy-yellow/orange in colour; forewing with venation as in illustration
of wing on left (below); scale covered area around transparent area approximately
5-6 mm wide at forewing tip; legs usually with light or blond hairs: Hemaris
thysbe
2b) Body usually yellow and black (bumblebee
like); forewing venation as in illustration of wing on right (below);
scale covered area around transparent section approximately 3 mm wide
at forewing tip; legs with dark brown to black hairs: Hemaris
diffinis
 
Left: Forewing
of Hemaris thysbe Right: Forewing of Hemaris diffinis
3a)
Hind wings with pronounced red/pink stripe along the long axis of the
wing, bordered anteriorly and posteriorly with black stripes; forewing
with light coloured stripe running from body to wing tip; white/dull yellow
lines bordering thorax and running from hind end of thorax to snout over
antennae: 4
3b) Not as above: 5
4a) Thorax with six white/dull
yellow lines running parallel to the body; forewings with white lines
running across wing; paired black and white dotted lines on dorsum of
first 4-5 abdominal segments: Hyles lineata
4b) Paired black lines on first two abdominal
segments only; lacks white lines on top of thorax and wings: Hyles
gallii
5a) Hindwings with yellow/orange/cream
coloured area surrounded by, or bordered on one side by, a black area;
body colour greenish or yellow and black: 6
5b) Not as above: 7
6a) Body and forewings
olive green; underside of wings olive green; hindwings with yellow/orange
stripe bordered anteriorly with a black stripe, stretching across whole
hindwing: Proserpinus clarkiae
6b) Body black and yellow; hindwing with yellow
which does not reach inner margin: Proserpinus
flavofasciata
7a) Hindwings without eyespots:
8
7b) Hindwings with eye spots:13
8a) Abdomen with five paired
lateral yellow/orange spots; wings various shades of gray: Manduca
quinquemaculata
8b) Not as above: 9
9a) Hindwing with central
triangular section red-purple; semi-triangular black area at base of hindwing;
Forewing with ventral red-purple area; body brown: Pachysphinx
modesta
9b) Wings and body various shades of gray or
black: 10
10a) Front third of forewing
with gray/white area on proximal two thirds; posterior of forewing with
dark gray to black area: Sphinx drupiferarum
10b) Not as above: 11
11a) Sub-apical area of
forewing with white V-shaped mark bordered on proximal side by a thin
black streak: Sphinx vashti
11b) Not as above: 12
12a) Forewing with three
definite black lines in middle, at angle to anterior of wing; thorax light
in colour with two black lines converging anteriorly: Sphinx
chersis
12b) Lacking lines described above: Sphinx
perelegans
13a) Hindwing with single
white-blue eyespot inside black ring: 14
13b) Hindwing as above (13a) but with black spot
in centre of white-blue spot or with two white/blue spots surrounded by
black: 15
14a) Eyespot on red/purple/pink
back ground; red/purple/pink on ventral side of forewing; outside edges
of forewings strongly scalloped: Paonias excaecatus
14b) Hindwing with eyespot yellow or orange background,
wings slightly scalloped: Paonias myops
15a) Hindwing with twin
eyespots: Smerinthus jamaicensis
15b) Hindwing with simple blue eyespot centered
with black spot and surrounded by black ring: Smerinthus
cerisyi
Discussion
and Conclusions
The RBCM collection contains 476 Sphingidae specimens from British Columbia.
Within this collection, 15 of the 16 British Columbia species are represented.
There was a fair amount of collecting conducted in British Columbia in
the early part of this century by J.R. Jones, G.A. Hardy and A.W. Hanham,
but this was mainly concentrated on Vancouver Island and the lower mainland.
More recently, collecting has been done by H. Miller around Clearbrook,
J. Shepard in the Kootenays, and R.A. Ashton around the Lower Mainland.
The only British Columbian Sphingidae which has
not been collected in B.C. is Sphinx chersis. The RBCM has three specimens
of this species but they were collected elsewhere. This species has been
confirmed for B.C. (Hodges, 1971) but it is probably rare. Jones (1951)
reports that it has been found in Robson, in the Kootenays, and the Trinity
Valley in the Okanagan. More collecting should be conducted in these areas,
and surrounding areas, to determine if it can still be found there. Specimens
of this species can probably be found in other entomological collections
in British Columbia and Canada. Other species which have very limited
collection information are Hemaris thysbe, Manduca quinquemaculata, Paonias
mypos, Sphinx drupiferarum, Smerinthus jamaicensis and Sphinx perelegans.
Most of the specimens in the RBCM were collected
in the early part of this century and are mainly from Vancouver Island
and the Lower Mainland. There is a need for collecting to be done in northern
B.C. Four species: Hemaris thysbe, H. diffinis, Proserpinus flavofasciata
and Hyles gallii, have been reported as far north as Alaska and the Northwest
Territories (Hodges, 1971) -- so it is likely that they will be found
in northern British Columbia as well. A thorough collecting effort would
be useful to determine the northern limits of the other species. Currently,
a study focusing on moths is being conducted by Aud I. Fischer and Crispin
S. Guppy in the Chilcotin, under contract from the RBCM. This project
will provide additional information about habitats for which we have little
knowledge.
Since the distribution maps produced in this
report were made using only specimens from the RBCM collection, the maps
do not represent the actual distribution of these species in B.C. (Note:
distribution maps not included in the electronic version: please contact
the RBCM for a hard copy of this report.) The distributions reflect collection
efforts. Additional collection information could be obtained from the
Spencer Entomological Museum at the University of British Columbia. If
this information is combined with RBCM collection information, it would
provide a better idea of species distribution.
Acknowledgements
Many people contributed to this project in different ways. We would like
to thank David Blades for all the technical support he gave us, working
with the database and ARCView. Jason Smith and Candace Oliver also assisted
with the mapping. We would like to thank Robert A. Canning for reviewing
this report. Andrew Niemann assisted with the photography and scanned
the photographs. Tara Steigenberger produced the electronic version for
the Web.
Literature
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- Hodges, R.W. 1971. The Moths of America North
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