Lintneria eremitus

Lintneria eremitus, the hermit sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823.[1] It is found in the temperate areas of the eastern United States, north into southern Canada over the Great Plains. It prefers gardens and yards, but is common wherever the nectar and larval host plants are found. This moth is easily confused with the Canadian sphinx (Sphinx canadensis) but these two moths do not typically co-occur.

Hermit sphinx
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Sphingidae
Genus:
Lintneria
Species:
L. eremitus
Binomial name
Lintneria eremitus
(Hübner, 1823)
Synonyms
  • Sphinx eremitus
  • Agrius eremitus Hübner, 1823
  • Sphinx sordida Harris, 1839
  • Sphinx eremitus mccrearyi Clark, 1929

The wingspan is 65–75 mm. There is one generation per year with adults on wing from late June to August. They nectar at deep-throated, light-colored flowers such as phlox (Phlox species) or milkweed (Asclepias species). Adults typically fly at dusk. They are easily attracted to light.

The larvae feed on many plants in the family Lamiaceae, such as Lycopus, Mentha, Monarda and Salvia species. Larvae have green, black, or brown coloration.

References
  1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.


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