Moths of North Carolina

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View PDF	Sphingidae Members:	Hemaris Members:	73 NC Records

Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775) - Hummingbird Clearwing

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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, BOLD

Technical 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) Click on graph to enlarge
Immature Dates: High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft. Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft. Piedmont (Pd) Coastal Plain (CP) Click on graph to enlarge
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

58 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

	Recorded by: Connie Danner on 2024-08-29 Avery Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2024-08-20 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock, Robert Emmott on 2024-08-14 Haywood Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Nora Murdock, Robert Emmott on 2024-08-14 Haywood Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Nora Murdock, Robert Emmott on 2024-08-14 Haywood Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Becky Eaton on 2024-06-01 Surry Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-28 Orange Co. Comment: On a Viburnum dentatum.
	Recorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-09-28 Orange Co. Comment: On a Viburnum dentatum in our yard.		Recorded by: Susie Moffat on 2023-08-08 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Richard Teper on 2023-06-25 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Terrell Tucker on 2023-06-17 Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Kayla Ruff on 2023-04-28 Alexander Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Kayla Ruff on 2023-04-28 Alexander Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Kayla Ruff on 2023-04-28 Alexander Co. Comment:		Recorded by: George Andrews on 2022-09-13 Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jenna Muti on 2022-09-08 Johnston Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Jenna Muti on 2022-09-08 Johnston Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Jenna Muti on 2022-09-08 Johnston Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George, L.M. Carlson, Becky Watkins on 2022-08-07 Orange Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2022-07-17 Henderson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2022-04-22 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ashley Horrocks on 2022-04-08 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ashley Horrocks on 2022-04-08 Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ashley Horrocks on 2022-04-08 Onslow Co. Comment:		Recorded by: David George on 2021-09-07 Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2021-08-28 Wilson Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-08-12 Guilford Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: David George on 2021-08-08 Orange Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-07-29 Buncombe Co. Comment: