Kingdom Animalia Family Sphingidae Scientific name Hemaris gracilis Rank Species | Class Insecta Genus Hemaris Phylum Arthropoda Order Butterflies and moths | |
Similar Hemaris, Sphinx gordius, Darapsa versicolor, Lapara bombycoides, Sphinx canadensis | ||
Hemaris gracilis thysbe sphinx colibri moro sphinx
The slender clearwing or graceful clearwing (Hemaris gracilis) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to central Florida along the East Coast and west through New England to Michigan to Saskatchewan.
Contents
- Hemaris gracilis thysbe sphinx colibri moro sphinx
- Hemaris gracilis the slender or graceful clearwing moth
- References
The wingspan is 40–45 mm. It can be distinguished from similar species by a pair of red-brown bands on the sides of the thorax, which vary from green to yellow-green dorsally and sometimes brown with white underneath. They have a red abdomen. The wings are transparent with reddish brown borders. The outer edge of the forewing transparent area is even and the forewing cell has a median row of scales. There are probably two generations per year with adults on wing from March to August. They feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Pontederia cordata, Rubus species, Taraxacum officinale, Hieracium aurantiacum, and Phlox species.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Vaccinium vacillans and Kalmia species. Pupation takes place in a thin walled cocoon under leaf litter.