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Photo#1753846
Sphinx Moth - Aellopos fadus

Sphinx Moth - Aellopos fadus
Mission, Hildago County, Texas, USA
November 17, 2019

Images of this individual: tag all
Sphinx Moth - Aellopos fadus Sphinx Moth - Aellopos fadus Sphinx Moth - Aellopos fadus

Moved
Moved from Aellopos.

So, I’m not at all an exper
So, I’m not at all an expert. I get outside a lot, sure!...and I’ve started carrying a camera this last year. The observation happened with my husband and 4 other humans, on a lazy Sunday at the National Butterfly Center. They (those more learned folks) seemed to think they knew what they were looking at. I did not. Oh, it was a day flying Sphinx moth. I knew that much. And wow! Super great looking.. But I’m in south Texas. Not home in MI where the best thing ever is a Snowberry on a warm day. I listened. It sounded like folks thought it was the rarer of two things that could be seen here.They were sketchy on the details, but it sounded like they didn’t think it was a Titan. But even that impression might be wrong. Me? I just thought my best effort was TAKING A LOT of images, while this guy was in sight. Figure it out later...Right? Turns out? Pics were just the beginning. I’ve hit mpg. I’ve “asked” iNat’s ai. I’ve looked at the Hodges numbers ahead and behind on BG, and MPG. I’m still clueless. If there is something to try for, image wise....for a field ID, let me know. I believe the 17th was day two of this individual in the same area. I can try again tomorrow.

 
To be honest I'm not sure whi
To be honest I'm not sure which shots would help tell the two apart - MPG is probably the right place to get help, it's good you asked there as well! I think the issue is less the photographs and more not having an expert in the genus at the moment who can tell us what subtle things to look for to tell the two apart.

But by all means, if you're motivated more photos can't hurt!

Though, I just realized - titan has a black spot on the end of the cell, as does the ruled-out clavipes. I do not see this spot on your moth - and the pictures are good enough to say this for certain - so I think this must be fadus after all. I will move it to species now.

What do you need too see in a
What do you need to see in a pic to move it to a genus level ID? Kelsey J.R.P. Byers

 
The shots you've got are actu
The shots you've got are actually really good - you are showing the hindwing anal angle which shows this is not A. clavipes. So the question is between A. fadus and A. titan. The trouble is that these two species look very similar and I personally cannot tell them apart (and we only have one other A. fadus here on BugGuide even), so we would need to wait for an expert in this group to sort it out.

Hope that helps!

Moved
Moved from Fadus Sphinx.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

 
What do I need to show in a p
What do I need to show in a pic to help get to a genus level ID? I may be able to try again...!

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