Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFSphingidae Members: Hemaris Members: 79 NC Records

Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775) - Hummingbird Clearwing

Hemaris thysbeHemaris thysbe
view caption 		Hemaris thysbeHemaris thysbe
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Bombycoidea		 Family:
Sphingidae		Subfamily:
Macroglossinae		Tribe:
Dilophonotini		P3 Number:
890204.3		 MONA Number:
7853.00		 Other Common Name:
Hummingbird Moth
Comments: A Holarctic genus of 20 species of which 5 occur in North America and 4 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 Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, 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.
Hemaris thysbeAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Flight Comments: In the piedmont and coastal plain there appear to be two broods.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Adults are often seen in gardens and other open, flower-rich habitats. The wooded or shrubby habitats used by the larvae range from dry acidic sandhills and mountain ridges where blueberries are abundant to rich bottomlands and mesic slopes where viburnums are prevalent.
Larval Host Plants: Polyphagous, feeding on Viburnum but also on honeysuckles (Lonicera) and various members of the Rosaceae (Forbes, 1948; Wagner, 2005). Tuttle (2007) adds blueberries and cranberry, both in the Ericaceae, although exactly which species are used in any area is uncertain. In North Carolina, larvae have been recorded feeding on Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) and Possumhaw Viburnum (V. nudum). - View
Observation Methods: The moths are diurnal and do not come to light traps. Look for the adults visiting flowers, often in open areas but usually near wooded areas where their host plants occur. They do not come to bait.
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: Its widespread occurrence across the state and use of a broad range of habitats makes this species relatively secure.

 Photo Gallery for Hemaris thysbe - Hummingbird Clearwing

 63 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Matt O'Driscoll on 2025-09-03
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2025-08-23
Wake Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Scott Ellis on 2025-07-24
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-07-18
Madison Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-07-05
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Connie Danner on 2024-08-29
Avery Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20
Orange Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Nora Murdock, Robert Emmott on 2024-08-14
Haywood Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Nora Murdock, Robert Emmott on 2024-08-14
Haywood Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Nora Murdock, Robert Emmott on 2024-08-14
Haywood Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Becky Eaton on 2024-06-01
Surry Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-28
Orange Co.
Comment: On a Viburnum dentatum.		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-28
Orange Co.
Comment: On a Viburnum dentatum in our yard.
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Susie Moffat on 2023-08-08
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2023-06-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Terrell Tucker on 2023-06-17
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Kayla Ruff on 2023-04-28
Alexander Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Kayla Ruff on 2023-04-28
Alexander Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Kayla Ruff on 2023-04-28
Alexander Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: George Andrews on 2022-09-13
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Jenna Muti on 2022-09-08
Johnston Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Jenna Muti on 2022-09-08
Johnston Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Jenna Muti on 2022-09-08
Johnston Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: David George, L.M. Carlson, Becky Watkins on 2022-08-07
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2022-07-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-04-22
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Ashley Horrocks on 2022-04-08
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Ashley Horrocks on 2022-04-08
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Hemaris thysbe
Recorded by: Ashley Horrocks on 2022-04-08
Onslow Co.
Comment: