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

Hemaris diffinis (Boisduval, 1836) - Snowberry Clearwing Moth


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Taxonomy
Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: SphingidaeSubfamily: MacroglossinaeTribe: DilophonotiniP3 Number: 890179.00 MONA Number: 7855.00
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: The barcodes for Hemaris diffinis indicate complexity out west but our populations seem to be a single species.
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: Adults have a yellowish thorax and probably are mimics of bumblebees or carpenter bees; they can also be recognized by the narrow black margin to the clear area on the hindwing -- in our other two species the black border is quite wide. The legs are black in Hemaris diffinis but white in H. thysbe and reddish in H. gracilis. Sexes are similar.
Wingspan: 3.5 - 5 cm (Covell, 1984)
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development: Larva are granulated like other Hemaris species, but lack the subdorsal line found in H. thysbe and H. gracilis. Spiracles are surrounded by dark circular patches; the horn is black with a yellow patch at the base (see Wagner, 2005, for additional details). Pupation occurs underground.
Larvae ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Records from the Mountains are few but the species is certainly common across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.
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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