''Sphinx canadensis'', the Canadian sphinx, is a member of the family
Sphingidae
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, bu ...
. The species was
first described by
Jean Baptiste Boisduval
Jean Baptiste Alphonse Déchauffour de Boisduval (24 June 1799 – 30 December 1879) was a French lepidopterist, botanist, and physician.
He was one of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, and was the co-founder of the Société entomol ...
in 1875.
Distribution
That is found the northeastern United States and as north as
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
Description
The adult's wingspan is between 70 and 85 mm. It is often confused with the hermit sphinx (''
Sphinx eremitus
''Lintneria eremitus'', the hermit sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is found in the temperate areas of the eastern United States, north into southern Canada over the Great P ...
'') throughout their overlaying areas, but unlike ''S. eremitus'' it has no white spot. The forewing of this species is gray brown with black streaks along the veins, interrupted by white lines along the outer margin. The hindwing is patterned with black and white bands.
Biology
It was previously thought that the larvae of this species fed on both white ash (''
Fraxinus americana
''Fraxinus americana'', the white ash or American ash, is a species of '' ash tree'' native to eastern and central North America.
The species is native to mesophytic hardwood forests from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, south to northern Florida ...
'') and blueberry (''
Vaccinium
''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whort ...
''), but recent observations suggest that the only larval host plant is black ash (''
Fraxinus nigra
''Fraxinus nigra'', the black ash, is a species of ash native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, from western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia. Formerly abundant, a ...
'') which grows at the edges of swamps. Phlox (''
Phlox
''Phlox'' (; Greek φλόξ "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", Greek φλόγες ''phlóges'') is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America (one in Siberia) in di ...
'' species) and bouncing bet (''
Saponaria officinalis
''Saponaria officinalis'' is a common perennial plant from the family Caryophyllaceae. This plant has many common names, including common soapwort, bouncing-bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and soapweed. There are about 20 species of soapwor ...
'') are the preferred nectar sources. Adults fly much later in the year than other sphinx moth species; most adults are collected in very late July or early August. The black patches on the sides of the larvae are thought to mimic the curled leaves of black ash.
References
Moths of North America
Sphinx (genus)
Moths described in 1875
{{sphinginae-stub