#Sphinx Moth

Is it a hummingbird? No, it’s a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)! These moths hover in front of flowers and drink nectar through their proboscis, a tube that extends from the front of their heads. Sphinx moths look, move, and eat like hummingbirds, but they are not closely related. Hummingbirds and sphinx moths–creatures from two different branches on the tree of life–have evolved similar traits to fill similar ecological niches. This phenomenon of two unrelated species forming similar adaptations is called “convergent evolution.” The nectar from tubular flowers such as lilies, columbines, and penstemons is typical of a sphinx moth’s diet. In the video above, a sphinx moth gathers nectar from a Sierra tiger lily. Sphinx moths can be found through much of Yosemite dining on nectar. Since August wildflower blooms are mostly at the higher elevations, there’s a good chance you’ll see them there this month! What other examples of convergent evolution can you think of? Video description: A white-lined sphinx moth hovers in front of orange spotted flowers, bouncing from flower to flower, gathering nectar.

UPDATE! It has been 18 days since the mystery Sphinx moth caterpillar buried itself underground to pupate. It takes a few days to actually pupate, so I assume it has been in its pupal stage for about 2 weeks. This means —as long as it does not hibernate until dry season—it will emerge very soon, perhaps in less than one week! I’m SO excited!!

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Will we finally figure out what the ‘orange and blue mystery cat’ turns into? Thanks to @gilwizen (who, by the way, is a bug genius, and somehow knows like every species of insect in the world) for informing me of this. The pressure to keep this caterpillar alive until adulthood is immense, I can’t fail B. Dvorak 😭 Please, Sphinx moth rearing experts, help me figure out how to best get this caterpillar to survive pupation as we don’t have the coconut soil I usually use for Sphinx pupae. #entomology #entomologist #mystery #caterpillar #sphinxmoth #animals #peru #amazonrainforest

This incredible sphinx moth caterpillar has a cool way of moving - great rhythm too! 🐛

A baddie with a phattie 💖 • • • • • • #moth #bombyxmori #domesticsilkmoth #tea

Witness one of the most incredible scenes in metamorphosis take place, a moth emerging from its pupa. I was lucky enough to observe this Giant sphinx, Cocytius antaeus, emerge after having waited patiently for a month following its development. I actually knew exactly the moment this was going to take place and was ready to record this spectacle while it was taking place. Large moths such as this sphinx, rely on pressure changes in the atmosphere, humidity shifts, and photoperiod when it comes to determining when exactly to break through their pupa, and become a moth. So, on the day I figured it would eclose, I heavily misted the pupa in the evening and waited a few minutes for the magic to happen. Sure enough, I heard the crackling you can hear in the beginning of the video, and I was able to document the whole process. Now a few things you'll notice at first, the wings are tiny, the abdomen is full of fluid, and the tongue is not yet neatly rolled up. When butterflies and moths emerge, they have a set period of time to find a suitable position up high to hang and let the hemolymph flow through their wing veins to fully expand. They pump the fluid into the wings using gravity and pressure. Once fully formed they have to dry for a few hours so the wings can harden up, or else they will just be floppy and incapable of taking flight. After hours of hardening the exoskeleton, the moth then has fully functional wings, and can vibrate to dust off the loose scales, and then finally take flight. If you think this is insane, just think about how a caterpillar molted into an immobile pupa that can just twitch, filled with fats and proteins with all the genetic coding they need to materialize a moth from essentially goo... metamorphosis is truly something to marvel over!

Wonders we find in our yard: white-lined sphynx moths. They mimic hummingbirds! . #newmexico #newmexicotrue #wonders #wondersofnature #moths

The Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) are the largest moths found in North America. These giant silk moths have a wingspan of 5-7 inches (13-18 cm) and are found in hardwood forests east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada.

In Arizona, “Hummingbird Moths / Hawk Moths” are actually Sphinx Moths, and they sound and resemble Hummingbirds as they travel collecting nectar from flowers. Today I pulled one of these out of my pool, and the other out of my home! Sometimes I feel like I live in Jurassic Park… #sphinxmoth #hummingbirdmoth #hawkmoth

It’s time to wash up!🛀 (Laothoe amurensis) #laothoe #laothoeamurensis #sphinxmoth #hawkmoth #귀여운나방 #톱날개박각시 #박각시나방 #蛾

The Hummingbird Moth , the darling of the insect world. Very very distant from hummingbirds, the hummingbird moth (also known as sphinx moths or hawk moths) have independently evolved many of the same traits because they occupy the same ecological niche—an example of convergent evolution 🍃 *Sighs in admiration* #hummingbirdmoth #sphinxmoth #hawkmoth #insects #ecology #outdooreducation #environmentaleducation #prideoutside

White-lined Sphinx Moth. #hummingbirdmoth #wildcaminos #whitelinedsphinxmoth #zoomed #exoterraterrium