Summary ⁶

Hemaris thysbe, commonly known as the Hummingbird Clearwing, is a moth of the Sphingidae family. Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish brown border. It has light colored legs, which combined with its lack of striping on its underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar...

General description ⁷

A fairly large (4.5-6.2 cm. wingspan) day-flying moth with narrow, pointed translucent wings. The wings have dark olive brown (forewing) or red brown (hindwing) bases, a wide dark outer margin, and the veins are lined with dark scales. The heavy body is covered in dark olive-brown hairs, except for a wide dark band on the abdomen. In Alberta, it can be mistaken only for the Snowberry Clearwing, which is smaller, has narrow dark outer margins on the wings, and large yellow patches on the sides of the lower abdomen. The very similar Slender Clearwing (H. gracilis) has been reported from eastern Saskatchewan and may eventually turn up in eastern Alberta. H. thysbe can always be told from other species of Hemaris by the row of dark scales bisecting the forewing discal cell (absent in other Hemaris species). Royal Alberta Museum page

Sources and Credits

1. (c) David Joly, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/61623132@N00/4660061935
2. (c) Rob Curtis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Rob Curtis
3. (c) Summit Metro Parks, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Summit Metro Parks
4. (c) Matt Muir, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eb6bKU8S_9c/T_bRQ-7eDNI/AAAAAAAALxA/dr6jQPvEeYw/P1100627.JPG
5. (c) Calopteryx, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8536/8679566516_9a9bdfbc52_o.jpg
6. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemaris_thysbe
7. (c) University of Alberta Museums, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/31882412

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Mass Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

Range Map

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