Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths (Bombycoidea) » Sphinx Moths (Sphingidae) » Macroglossinae » Macroglossini » Eumorpha » Achemon Sphinx - Hodges#7861 (Eumorpha achemon)
Photo#549163
Sphinx on Oenothera sp. - Eumorpha achemon
Copyright © 2011 Elizabeth Hedrick-Collins

Sphinx on Oenothera sp. - Eumorpha achemon
Arvada, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA
July 20, 2011
Eumorpha achemon?
Scared this Sphinx moth out of a clump of Evening Primrose. I hope I was not the one that caused the damage you see! It was very lethargic, and allowed me to guide it onto my hand for a better photo before flying off.

Images of this individual: tag all
Sphinx on Oenothera sp. - Eumorpha achemon Sphinx on Oenothera sp. - Eumorpha achemon Sphinx on Oenothera sp. - Eumorpha achemon Sphinx on Oenothera sp. - Eumorpha achemon
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Elizabeth Hedrick-Collins on 20 July, 2011 - 7:15pm

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Elizabeth Hedrick-Collins, 20 July, 2011 - 7:49pm login or register to post comments

It is indeed an Achemon Sphinx
The moth was probably resting for the day (they are mostly nocturnal), and it possibly also took some nectar from the Evening Primrose flower (I see it's covered in pollen). They won't damage these plants though, the caterpillars feed on things in the Grape family (Grapes and Virginia Creeper are favorites - in fact there is a half-grown pink one on a Virginia Creeper right outside one of my windows here in Albuquerque, right now.)
… David J. Ferguson, 20 July, 2011 - 7:38pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks! I was chopping away,
Thanks! I was chopping away, trying to tame the primrose, and was afraid I'd chopped the poor things abdomen off until I saw it was just curled under.
We see day-flying sphinxes every once and a while at Applewood, so it was neat to find this guy (gal?)
… Elizabeth Hedrick-Collins, 20 July, 2011 - 7:47pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact