''Proserpinus'' is a genus of

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s in the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly 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, but species ar ...

, 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 Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

s to feed on nectar. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

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 distinctive fr ...

. There are seven species. ''Arctonotus lucidus'' may be included as ''P. lucidus''. Species include:''Proserpinus''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). * '' Proserpinus clarkiae'' ( Boisduval, 1852) – Clark's day sphinx * '' Proserpinus flavofasciata''

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'' (

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 * Pa ...

, 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 flavofasciata'' 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 , '' Proserpinus proserpina''

References

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