(Sphinx chersis)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Great ash sphinx is a large, common and widespread, sphinx moth. It occurs in the United States in the northeast, in the Upper Midwest, in the arid southwest, and on the West Coast. It also occurs across southern Canada from Nova Scotia to Alberta. In Minnesota, Great ash sphinx adults are active from June to August. They are found in dry deciduous and mixed forests, in fence rows, and in urban areas. They feed on the nectar of tubular, deep-throated flowers, including bouncing bet, dogbane, evening primrose, honeysuckle, and phlox. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of trees and shrubs. Their hosts include plants in the olive (Oleaceae) family, including ash, lilac, and privet. They have been raised on cherry and quaking aspen, but these are probably not significant food plants in the wild. Great ash sphinx is the largest moth in the genus Sphinx. Adults are 2¾″ (50 to 70 mm) in length and have a ½″ to 5″ (9 to 13 cm) wingspan. Moth size is sometimes given in terms of forewing length, which in this case is 3½″ to 5″ (9 to 13 cm). The tongue is very long, longer than the body. The antennae are black and white. The thorax is gray with a thin, black, longitudinal line on each side. The abdomen is long and tapered. It is gray above in the middle, and there are alternating black and white bands on each side. The forewing is very long, slender, and pointed, somewhat more pointed in the males than in the females. The outer margin is slightly concave. In northern populations, including in Minnesota, the forewings are dark gray with pale streaks. In southern populations, the forewings are pale bluish gray. There is a series of four long black dashes between the veins from the inner median area to the outer postmedial area. The outermost dash extends to the wing tip. There is also a small, diffuse, black blotch at the wing base. There is no discal spot. The subterminal line is a thin black line with pale outer edging. It is incomplete, ending well before the leading edge (costal margin). The other transverse lines are gray and diffuse, and they are also incomplete. The hindwings are smaller, and they are egg shaped. They are light brownish gray with two broad, black, diffuse bands. The fringe on the hindwing has alternating black and white bands, like a checkerboard. The mature caterpillar is large, up to 4″ (10 cm) long. It may be light green, whitish green, pale bluish green, or pinkish. Thje abdomen is sometimes waxy whitish green on the upper half, lime green below. There are seven oblique, white stripes on each side of the body. The stripes sometimes are bordered with dark pink above, with the pink border expanding into a triangle on the lower half. The breathing pores (spiracles) are elongated, with a central black area surrounded by a white border. A long, straight, horn extends at a 45° angle from the eighth abdominal segment. The horn may be green or pink. The head has a pair of yellow vertical stripes that meet at the top. Mature caterpillars are seen from May to November. |
Size |
Total length: 2″ to 2¾″ (50 to 70 mm) Wingspan: 3½″ to 5″ (9 to 13 cm) Forewing length: 2″ to 2¼″ (50 to 57 mm) |
Similar Species |
Habitat |
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Biology |
Season |
One generation per year in Minnesota: June to August Two generations per year in the middle states |
Behavior |
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Life Cycle |
Pupae overwinter in the soil. |
Larva Food |
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Adult Food |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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12/13/2024 | ||
Some lepidopterists think that the range of this species is “suspicious”. It has become rare to absent in the southeast. Specimens in the arid southwest “tend” to be smaller and their caterpillars “seem” to be different. The southwestern populations may be separated as a distinct species in the future, but DNA data is not currently available. |
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Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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Order |
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Superfamily |
Bombycoidea (hawk, sphinx, silk, emperor, and allied moths) |
Family |
Sphingidae (sphinx moths) |
Subfamily |
Sphinginae (large sphinx moths) |
Tribe |
Sphingini |
Subtribe |
Sphingina |
Genus |
Sphinx |
Subordinate Taxa |
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great ash sphinx (Sphinx chersis ssp. chersis) great ash sphinx (Sphinx chersis ssp. mexicanus) |
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Synonyms |
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Lethia chersis Sphinx cinerea Sphinx oreodaphne Sphinx pallescens |
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Common Names |
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chersis sphinx great ash sphinx great ash sphinx moth pennant marked sphinx |
Glossary
Costal margin
The leading edge of the forewing of insects.
Spiracle
A small opening on the surface of an insect or arachnid through which it breathes.
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Found near shore in sand and pine needles |
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Sphinx chersis |
About
Aug 15, 2023 |
Sphinx chersis |
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Aug 3, 2023 |
great ash sphinx moth caterpillar |
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Aug 22, 2019 |
Created: 12/14/2024 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |