Moths of North Carolina
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Hemaris Members:
70 NC Records

Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775) - Hummingbird Clearwing Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: SphingidaeSubfamily: MacroglossinaeTribe: DilophonotiniP3 Number: 890177.00 MONA Number: 7853.00
Comments: A Holarctic genus of 19 species of which 4 occur in North America and 3 in North Carolina. They are often called hummingbird or bumblebee moths, and are among the best known Sphingids to North Carolinians.
Species Status: Bar codes indicate the species is homogeneous.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Hodges (1971); Tuttle (2007)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Forbes (1948); Wagner (2005); Tuttle (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: These moths are often believed to be birds or large bees by the public; their ability to hover and rapidly fly away are impressive. Hemaris thysbe has a greenish thorax and is marked with crimson on its wings and abdomen; fore legs are white. Sexes are similar. Resembles H. gracilis but is larger and the clear area in both wings has a scalloped rather than even outer edge; in mounted specimens, the cell in the forewing has a line of scales running through it which is absent in H. gracilis. Hemaris diffinis has a yellowish thorax and the area devoid of scales is much larger in the hindwing than in either H. thysbe or H. gracilis. Leg color also differs between all three species: forelegs are white in H. thysbe, red in H. gracilis, and black in H. diffinis.
Wingspan: 4 - 5.5 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larvae are green and granulated, with a pair of light dorsal lines and a pale, yellowish subdorsal line (Forbes, 1948; see Wagner, 2005, for an illustration). Pupation occurs underground.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Probably occurs statewide, although records are missing from the Barrier Islands and High Mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

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