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

Hemaris gracilis (Grote & Robinson, 1865) - Slender Clearwing Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: SphingidaeSubfamily: MacroglossinaeTribe: DilophonotiniP3 Number: 890178.00 MONA Number: 7854.00
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.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, GBIF, BOLDTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1948); Hodges (1971); Tuttle (2007)Technical Description, Immature Stages: Williams (1979); Tuttle (2007)                                                                                 
Adult Markings: A hummingbird mimic that is slightly smaller but otherwise similar in coloration to Hemaris thysbe. Differs from H. thysbe in having an even rather than ragged outer edge of the clear area on the forewings. The cell also has no line of scales through it and the underside has two bands of red running from the eyes to the abdomen; the legs are reddish instead of whitish. Smaller than H. diffinis and has a green rather than a yellowish thorax. Sexes are similar.
Wingspan: 4 - 4.5 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: According to Williams (1979), larvae are similar to those of Hemaris thysbe but "the head and body are smoother, the prothoracic shield narrower and smoother, the horn shorter and the dark pale-edged dorsal line absent."
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Primarily a northern species. Hemaris gracilis has a peculiar distribution, occurring across most of Canada and then down the coast in a narrow band at least to Florida.
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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