Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx. They are sometimes erroneously referred to as the hummingbird moth because of their bird-like size (2-3 inch wingspan) and flight patterns.
As caterpillars, they have a wide range of color phenotypes but show consistent adult coloration. With a wide geographic range throughout Central and North America, H. lineata is known to feed on many different host plants as caterpillars and pollinate a variety of flowers as adults.
Larvae are powerful eaters and are known to form massive groupings capable of damaging crops and gardens. As adults, they use both visual and olfactory perception to locate plants from which they collect nectar.
Hawk moths, including H. lineata, are known as long-tongued nectar foragers, although nearly 20% of all hawk moth species have very short tongues compared to H. lineata. A 1997 study found correlations between tongue length and latitude distribution: mean tongue length declines from around 40 mm to as short as 15 mm as northern latitude increase from 0 to 50 degrees. The author speculates that tongues have lengthened in hawk moths of extratropical regions where it is more difficult and energetically costly to find larval food plants that are often inconspicuous, thus they need to take up more nectar at once to fuel their longer flights. Conversely, in more norther regions, short tongues are sufficient because finding larval food plants is an easier task and they do not need to take up as much nectar to fuel their flights.
Females have almost uniformly gray forewings with black markings on the basal half and near the center of the costa, although some are nearly all black. The upperside of the male forewing is pale gray with black markings and a black line in the center running from the base to about three-fourths of the wing length. In both sexes, the hindwing upperside is orange with a narrow black border.
𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓬 𝓒𝓲𝓽𝔂 𝓞𝓭𝓭𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓮𝓼 - 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓫𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵🐇🔮✨
We do our best to ensure all specimens, animals, insects and flora, used in our displays or offered by us are sustainably sourced.
If you purchase a second item with your order and send a note with the order that says "gift", we will include a gift with your order. All orders must have 2 or more items (not identical) to qualify. Our way of saying "Thank you" for looking!
All displays will be carefully packed to the best of our ability to insure a safe and damage free arrival.
POSTAL INSURANCE -Our shipping prices include insurance.
USPS, Shipcover, etc., all costs are included in shipping fees and/or item pricing and included with your purchase so all items are insured in case of damage.
If damage occurs in shipping the post office now requires you to bring the package into a postal center/office for inspection before any insurance payments will be approved and the item has to be in the original shipping box with all packing as you received still in the box. Your refund will be processed once the package has been inspected and the receipt from the post office acknowledging the inspection is forwarded to us. This is an ordeal that no one wants to go through, including us, so we do our best to make sure no one has too!
Please contact us as soon as you receive it if you would like to return the item. Returns are accepted if the request is received for the return within 14 days of the delivery and the return is received within 30 days of the delivery date. Return must be received in original condition, in original packaging.
On items that returns are accepted the following applies:
Paid shipping items: Return shipping to be paid for the buyer. Cost of original item refunded once the item is returned. Shipping costs are not refundable.
Free shipping items: Return shipping to be paid for the buyer. Cost of original item refunded minus an $8. restocking fee (unless an otherwise noted charge is posted in the listing description) to cover original shipping and handling. Shipping costs are not refundable.
Items that ship free and are returned for incorrect address or insufficient address will be charged a restocking fee or shipping fee to cover initial shipping costs and the balance refunded or given the option to purchase shipping for resending the item with corrected address.
If there was an original shipping fee and the item is returned for an incorrect or insufficient address and you would like the item resent, the option will be given to repurchase shipping. There are no refunds on initial shipping for an incorrect or insufficient address.
