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Species Sphinx chersis - Great Ash Sphinx - Hodges#7802
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Bombycoidea (Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths)
Family Sphingidae (Sphinx Moths)
Subfamily Sphinginae
Tribe Sphingini
Genus Sphinx
Species chersis (Great Ash Sphinx - Hodges#7802)
Other Common Names Pennant Marked Sphinx (2)Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Sphinx chersis (Hübner, 1823)
Lethia chersis Hübner, 1823 Numbers Sixteen species of the genus Sphinx are listed for America north of Mexico. (3), (4)Size Forewing length 5.0-5.7 cm. (6)
Larva to 10 cm. Identification Adult - forewing uniformly ash gray; subterminal line incomplete, with pale gray outer edging; series of 4 black dashes - outermost dash reaches apex; hindwing black with diffuse pale gray bands. (5)
Larva - greenish or pinkish with seven long diagonal lines sometimes edged with pink. Spiracles elongate, black ringed with white. Horn blue or pink. (7)Range Across southern Canada and all of United States, south into Mexico. Rare in the deep south and Gulf Coast states and probably absent from the driest areas of the Great Basin. (5), (8)Habitat Wide variety of woodlands and western scrublands. Season Double-brooded in the middle states, on the wing in the latter part of May, and again in August. (1)Food Larval hosts are Cherry, Ash, Privet, Lilac, and other allied plants, according to Holland. Powell & Opler sumise that lilac and privot were laboratory rearings and offer the wild hosts as ash ( Fraxinus), plum ( Prunus), quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides). (1), (6)Life Cycle Two generations per year in the south; one generation in the north. (5)Print References Covell Jr., C.V., 1984. Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America. p.34, pl.4(7) (5)
Hodges, R.W., 1971. The Moths of America North of Mexico. Fascicle 21. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation Inc., p.58; pl.3, figs. 9-10, 4.2. (9)
Holland, W.J., 1915. The Moth Book a guide to the moths of North America. Doubleday, Page & Company. p. 50. (1)
Hübner, J. 1806. Sammlung exotischer Schmetterlinge errichtet 2: plate
Mitchell, R.T, H.S. Zim & A. Durenceau 2001. Butterflies and Moths (A Golden Guide). St. Martin's Press. p.86 (2)
Powell, J.A. & P A. Opler 2009. Moths of Western North America. University of California Press. pl.39.8m, p.243 (6)
Tuttle, J.P. 2007. Hawk moths of North America, a natural history study of the Sphingidae of the United States and Canada. p.74, pl.7.4 (3)
Wagner, D.L. 2005. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. p.256 (7)Works Cited | 1. | The Moth Book
W. J. Holland. 1922. Doubleday, Page & Company. | |
| 2. | Butterflies and Moths (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)
Robert T. Mitchell, Herbert S. Zim, Andre Durenceau. 2001. Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press. |  |
| 6. | Moths of Western North America
Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press. | |
| 7. | Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton University Press. |  |
| 9. | The Moths of America North of Mexico Fascicle 21 Sphingidae
Ronald W. Hodges. 1971. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation. | |
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