''Sphinx pinastri'', the pine hawk-moth, is a
moth of the family
Sphingidae. It is found in
Palearctic realm and sometimes the
Nearctic realm
The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.
The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...
. This species has been found in
Scotland but is usually found in
England. The species was
first described by
Carl Linnaeus in his 1758
10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
The larvae feed on
Scots pine,
Swiss pine,
Siberian pine and
Norway spruce
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...
.
Description
The wings of ''Sphinx pinastri'' are grey with black dashes. The
wingspan is .
The moth flies from April to August depending on the location.
The back of the
thorax is grey with two dark bands around both sides.
The Naturalist's Library
edited by William Jardine (accessed January 12, 2009)
Caterpillar, Sphinx pinastri.JPG, Adult caterpillar
Sphinx pinastri 2 beentree.jpg, Caterpillar
Sphinx pinastri MHNT CUT 2010 0 317 Mont Pelvoux France Male dorsal.jpg, Male
Sphinx pinastri MHNT CUT 2010 0 317 Mont Pelvoux France Male ventral.jpg, Male underside
Sphinx pinastri MHNT female dos.jpg, Female
Sphinx pinastri MHNT female ventre.jpg, Female underside
Life cycle
The females lay their eggs in groups of two or three along pine or spruce needles.
References
External links
"69.007 BF1978 Pine Hawk-moth ''Sphinx pinastri'' Linnaeus, 1758"
''UKMoths''. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
"06834 ''Sphinx pinastri'' Linnaeus, 1758 - Kiefernschwärmer"
''Lepiforum e.V.'' Retrieved January 7, 2019.
Sphinx (genus)
Moths described in 1758
Moths of Europe
Moths of North America
Moths of Asia
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Sphinginae-stub