CLOSED: Need a Hummingbird /Sphinx moth ID please...

SusanLouise Lincoln, NE(Zone 5b) Sep 26, 2009

I've seen many White-Lined and Clearwing Hummingbird Moths. This one was in our garden and quite different...although the size and shape of the moth reminded me of the Clearwing. I had an awful time trying to get a clearer pic of it. My camera just had a hard time focusing with the poor lighting of it being a very cloudy day and the speed at which this moth moved around. Here are the 2 best pics of it. There is a BRIGHT white wide band around the center of the abdomen...it was actually almost blinding to see...it was really that bright! I also didn't see the wings being clear at all...but with a couple of striped designs on both wings. I'm attaching 2 pics...one shows the designs on the wings a bit better than the other...
I have a moth reference guide with not one pic of anything resembling this variety. I have never seen one of these before...and of a couple hundred pics online of Sphinx and Hawk Moths, I've come up empty on any that look like this one. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
TIA :)
Susan

This message was edited Sep 26, 2009 11:50 AM

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SusanLouise Lincoln, NE(Zone 5b) Sep 26, 2009

Here's the 2nd pic...

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wren107 Jacksonville, FL(Zone 8b) Sep 26, 2009

Could this be it. Nessus sphinx Moth Amphion Floridensis
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3456

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claypa West Pottsgrove, PA(Zone 6b) Sep 26, 2009

It might be a Tantalus sphinx, Aellopos tantalus, a LONG way from home:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/247884

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/atantalus.htm

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SusanLouise Lincoln, NE(Zone 5b) Sep 26, 2009

Hello Wren and Clay,

Wren, yours doesn't have the wide white band... but I still so appreciate your help! :)

Clay, I'm thinking you found it...WooHoo!
I had received info about this one in an e-mail...
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=3434
BUT, I think you found THE one! Here's a cropped pic (which I apologize for not doing sooner...sorry. i just didn't think it would crop well due to it being blurry to begin with...many times it just looks blurrier. Anyway, look at the very bottom of the abdomen...there is a relativly large tannish area that is closer to the size of this moth that the Titan one. The areas just below the bright white band are also near black on either side...which also more closely matches the Tantalus and not the Titan.
The Titan is also way out of it's normal range too, but I believe you have positively ID'd it...Thank You!!!! :)
How cool to have anything so far out of it's range that it has only been documented in PA, NY and MI outside of Florida!!!!!

Bless you both!!!

Susan

This message was edited Sep 26, 2009 4:06 PM

This message was edited Sep 26, 2009 4:10 PM