Hyles lineata

White-lined sphinx
Hyles lineata feeding
The caterpillar varies widely in coloration, from black with stripes to green with red spots.
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Hyles
Species:	H. lineata
Binomial name
Hyles lineata (Fabricius, 1775)[1]
Synonyms
Sphinx lineata Fabricius, 1775 Celerio lineata Deilephila lineata Sphinx daucus Cramer, [1777] Sphinx lineata americana Laporte, 1830 Celerio lineata florilega Kernbach, 1962 Celerio lineata lineatoides Gehlen, 1934

Hyles lineata, the white-lined sphinx or hummingbird moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. Its range extends from Central America, through the United States and into parts of Canada.

Description

The forewing is dark brown with a tan stripe which extends from the base to the apex. There are also white lines that cover the veins. The black hindwing has a broad pink median band. It has a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches.^[2] The moth is sometimes referred to as a hummingbird moth because of its similarity to the hummingbird in appearance and flight characteristics.

Flight

The white-lined sphinx may be encountered from March to October.^[2] This moth's rapid wing movement resembles a hummingbird in flight when it hovers over flowers while it feeds. They may also be seen darting in a back-and-forth pattern over nectar sources, or larval food sources.

Range

The moth's range is throughout the United States and extends north into southern and mid-western Canada and south into Mexico. It can also be found occasionally in the West Indies.^[3] See also List of butterflies and moths of Arizona.

Life cycle

The larva is yellow and black or sometimes lime green and black. Many individuals have a subdorsal stripe. The head, prothoracic shield, and the anal plate are one color either green or orange with small black dots. The horn varies from either yellow or orange and sometimes has a black tip.^[4] Larvae burrow into soil to go into pupal stage, where they remain for 2–3 weeks before they emerge as adults.

Host plants

The adult of this species is a key pollinator of the rare lemon lily (Lilium parryi) in California.^[5]

The caterpillars of this species eat:

• Willow weed (Epilobium)
• Four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa)
• Apple (Malus)
• Evening primrose (Oenothera)
• Elm (Ulmus)
• Grape (Vitis)
• Tomato (Lycopersicon)
• Purslane (Portulaca)
• Fuchsia
• Clarkia elegans
• Cuphea ignea

Gallery

• 
• 
  Adult, Los Alamos, New Mexico
• 
  Adult, Montezuma County, Colorado
• 
  In flight over showy evening primroses
• 
  Larva and egg
• 
  Larva feeding
• 
  Larva – head close-up
• 
  Larva shortly before pupating
• 
  Mating

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
2. Charles V. Covell, Jr. (1984, 2005). Moths of Eastern North America. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, VA. ISBN 1-884549-21-7
3. "Butterflies and Moths of North America | collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera". Butterfliesandmoths.org. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
4. David L. Wagner (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 0-691-12144-3
5. "''Lilium parryi''". Center for Plant Conservation. Retrieved 2011-10-25.

External links

• White-lined sphinx Butterflies and Moths of North America