''Pachysphinx modesta'', the modest sphinx or poplar sphinx, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, ...

. The species was first described by

Thaddeus William Harris Thaddeus William Harris (November 12, 1795 – January 16, 1856) was an American entomologist and librarian. His focus on insect life cycles and interactions with plants was influential in broadening American entomological studies beyond a narrow ...

in 1839.

Gallery

Pachysphinx modesta MHNT CUT 2010 0 119 Wakefield, Quebec Canada male dorsal.jpg, Male, dorsal view Pachysphinx modesta MHNT CUT 2010 0 119 Wakefield, Quebec Canada male ventral.jpg, Male, ventral view Pachysphinx modesta MHNT CUT 2010 0 119 Marathon Co Wisconsin femal dorsal.jpg, Female, dorsal view Pachysphinx modesta MHNT CUT 2010 0 119 Marathon Co Wisconsin femal ventral.jpg, Female, ventral view Pachysphinx modesta.jpg, Larva

Distribution

It ranges from the southern United States up and throughout

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Biology

Adults are on wing from mid-June to mid-July in Canada. In the northern part of the range, there is one generation with adults on wing from may to July. Farther south, there might be two generations per year. The larvae feed on poplar, willow and cottonwood species.

References

External links

* Smerinthini Moths described in 1839 Moths of North America {{Smerinthini-stub Taxa named by Thaddeus William Harris