Clemens’ Sphinx
Sphinx luscitiosa Clemens, 1859
Family: Sphingidae
Status: Rare stray, possibly breeding.
Larval Hostplant(s): Possibilities in Nebraska include Apple (Malus), Ash (Fraxinus), Birch (Betula), Poplar (Populus), and Willows (Salix) with Willows being the most probable.
Range: This moth can be found in the northeastern portion of North America from Nova Scotia to New Jersey west to Illinois, Minnesota and the Prairie Provinces, from there straying west or south to Nebraska and Colorado.
NENHP Ranking: Not listed
Broods/Flight Times: Reported to be single brooded, flying in June and July. Nebraska records are from June.
Habitat: Clearings, edges and meadows in wooded areas. Nebraska records are from the sandhills region.
Avg. Wingspan: 2 1/4 to 3 inches.
Found at: Valentine and Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuges.
Overwintering: As pupa in the soil.
Similar Species: Distinctive color, hindwing and abdominal markings differentiate this species.
Notes: Males are diurnal, females attracted to lights. A specimen in the state museum was collected by R. H. Wolcott in Cherry Co., Dewey Lake area, 7 June 1903. The other record (photo) is from Garden Co., June 2022.
🔗Links: Moth Photographer’s Group, BugGuide.net
