''Sphinx libocedrus'', the incense cedar 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, ...
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
to southern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
and
Mexico
Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
.
The larvae feed on New Mexican forestiera (''
Forestiera neomexicana
''Forestiera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family, Oleaceae. Members of the genus are often called swampprivets.Forestiera angustifolia'' and ''
Fraxinus gooddingii
''Fraxinus gooddingii'', the Tiburón ash or Goodding's ash, is a tree native to Sonora and southern Arizona. It is reported from Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties in Arizona, and from numerous locations in Sonora (including Isla Tiburón, Shar ...
'' in the olive family (
Oleaceae
Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages ...
).
Subspecies
*''Sphinx libocedrus libocedrus'' (from Texas west through New Mexico and Arizona to southern California and further south to Sonora and Baja California Sur)
*''Sphinx libocedrus achotla'' Mooser, 1944 (Mexico)