''Proserpinus'' is a genus of

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 w ...

s in 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, bu ...

, the sphinx moths or hawk moths. Species of the genus are native to North America with the exception of ''P. proserpinus'', which has a much larger range extending from Asia to Africa.Rubinoff, D. and J. J. Le Roux. (2008)
Evidence of repeated and independent saltational evolution in a peculiar genus of sphinx moths (''Proserpinus'': Sphingidae).
''PLoS One'' 3(12) e4035. The genus was erected by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1819. In general, these moths are green with orange or red hindwings. Like many other hawk moths, they hover in front of flowers like

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

s to feed on nectar. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e specialize on plants of the evening primrose family,

Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and treesspiderlings, plants of the four o'clock family,

Nyctaginaceae Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...

. There are seven species. ''Arctonotus lucidus'' may be included as ''P. lucidus''. Species include:''Proserpinus''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). * '' Proserpinus clarkiae'' (

Boisduval Jean Baptiste Alphonse Déchauffour de Boisduval (24 June 1799 – 30 December 1879) was a French lepidopterist, botanist, and physician. He was one of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, and was the co-founder of the Société entomol ...

, 1852) – Clark's day sphinx * ''

Proserpinus flavofasciata ''Proserpinus flavofasciata'', the yellow-banded day sphinx, is a species of hawk moth which occurs at the edges of, and in clearings in, boreal and mountain forests across Canada, as far south as Maine and Massachusetts in the east and as far n ...

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, 1856 – yellow-banded day sphinx * '' Proserpinus gaurae'' (J. E. Smith, 1797) – proud sphinx * '' Proserpinus juanita'' ( Strecker, 1876) * '' Proserpinus lucidus'' Boisduval, 1852 (syn. ''Arctonotus lucidus'') * ''

Proserpinus proserpina The willowherb hawkmoth (''Proserpinus proserpina'') is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1772. Distribution It is found in Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Fran ...

'' (

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pall ...

, 1772) – willowherb hawkmoth * '' Proserpinus terlooii'' W. H. Edwards, 1875 – Terloo's sphinx * '' Proserpinus vega'' (Dyar, 1903) – vega sphinx

Gallery

Proserpinus clarkiae MHNT CUT 2010 0 11 White Pass (Washington) male.jpg, '' Proserpinus clarkiae'' Proserpinus flavofasciata MHNT CUT 0 11 Snoqualmie Pass King Co Washington.jpg, ''

'' Proserpinus juanita MHNT CUT 2010 0 11.jpg, '' Proserpinus juanita'' Proserpinus lucidus MHNT CUT 2010 0 235 Dayton (Washington) USA male.jpg, '' Proserpinus lucidus'' Proserpinus proserpina MHNT CUT 2010 0 495 L'Argentière-la-Bessée Hautes-Alpes, France - male.jpg , ''

References

Macroglossini Moth genera Taxa named by Jacob Hübner Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Macroglossini-stub