Sphingidae

Hawk moths
	Hummingbird hawk-moth; Macroglossum stellatarum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Bombycoidea
(unranked):	Macrolepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Subfamilies
	Macroglossinae; Smerinthinae; Sphinginae

Sphingidae is a family of moths (Lepidoptera), commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species.^[1] It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region.^[2]

They can fly fast, and their wings can be linked by wing coupling. They can hover, and can move from side to side while hovering. This may be to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers.^[3]

Species

There are around 1200 species of hawk moth, classified into around 200 genera. Some of the best known species are:

Privet hawkmoth (Sphinx ligustri)
Death's-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos)
Lime hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae)
Poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)
Catalpa sphinx (Ceratomia catalpae)
Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
Elephant hawk moth (Deilephila elpenor)
Vine hawk moth (Hippotion celerio)
Spurge hawk moth (Hyles euphorbiae)
Oleander hawk moth (Daphnis nerii)
Tomato worm (Manduca quinquemaculata)

References

↑ van Nieukerken; et al. (2011). "Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3148: 212–221. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.41.
↑ Scoble, Malcolm J. (1995): The Lepidoptera: form, function and diversity. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press & Natural History Museum London. ISBN 0-19-854952-0
↑ Kitching, Ian J (2002). "The phylogenetic relationships of Morgan's Sphinx, Xanthopan morganii (Walker), the tribe Acherontiini, and allied long-tongued hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae, Sphinginae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 135 (4): 471–527. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2002.00021.x.

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[1] van Nieukerken; et al. (2011). "Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3148: 212–221. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3148.1.41.

[scoble-2] Scoble, Malcolm J. (1995): The Lepidoptera: form, function and diversity. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press & Natural History Museum London. ISBN 0-19-854952-0

[kitching-3] Kitching, Ian J (2002). "The phylogenetic relationships of Morgan's Sphinx, Xanthopan morganii (Walker), the tribe Acherontiini, and allied long-tongued hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae, Sphinginae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 135 (4): 471–527. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2002.00021.x.

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