''Sphinx perelegans'', the elegant sphinx, is a species of

hawkmoth The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, b ...

Distribution

It is native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and to

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 98–110 mm. Sphinx perelegans MHNT Cut 2010 0 474 - Gold run placer Co. California - male dorsal.jpg, ''Sphinx perelegans'' ♂ Sphinx perelegans MHNT Cut 2010 0 474 - Gold run placer Co. California - male ventral.jpg, ''Sphinx perelegans'' ♂ △ Sphinx perelegans MHNT Cut 2010 0 474 - Gold run placer Co. California - female dorsal.jpg, ''Sphinx perelegans'' ♀ Sphinx perelegans MHNT Cut 2010 0 474 - Gold run placer Co. California - female ventral.jpg, ''Sphinx perelegans'' ♀ △

Biology

There is one generation per year in the north with adults on wing in June and July. In California, there is one generation (although there might be a partial second) with adults on wing from April to June and again from August to September. The adult of this species is a key

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the maj ...

of the rare lemon lily (''Lilium parryi'') in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The larvae feed on ''

Arctostaphylos manzanita One of many species of manzanita, ''Arctostaphylos manzanita'' has the common names common manzanita and whiteleaf manzanita. ''Arctostaphylos manzanita'' is endemic to California, where it can be found in the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foo ...

'', ''

Arbutus menziesii ''Arbutus menziesii'' or Pacific madrone (commonly madrone or madrona in the United States and arbutus in Canada), is a species of broadleaf evergreen tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the western coastal areas of North America, from Bri ...

'', ''

Cercocarpus betuloides ''Cercocarpus betuloides'' is a shrub or small tree in the rose family.Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale,2nd Ed, 2000, p. 170 Its common names include mountain mahogany and birch leaf mountain mahogany The common name "m ...

'' and '' Prunus ilicifolia''. In captivity, they will feed on ''

Gaultheria shallon ''Gaultheria shallon'' is an evergreen shrub in the heather family (biology), family (Ericaceae), native to western North America. In English, it is known as salal, shallon, or (mainly in Britain) gaultheria. Description ''Gaultheria shallo ...

''.

References

External links

Elegant Sphinx
Moths of America

Sphinx (genus) Moths of North America Moths of Central America Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Moths described in 1874 {{Sphinginae-stub