List of moths of Canada (Sphingidae) facts for kids

Hey, ever wondered about the cool moths fluttering around Canada? This page is like a special guide to all the different types of moths from a family called Sphingidae. They're also known as 'hawk-moths' or 'sphinx moths' because some of them are super fast flyers or have caterpillars that look a bit like the Sphinx! This list is part of a bigger guide to all the moths found in Canada.

When you look at the list of moths below, you'll see some short codes next to each name. These codes tell you which parts of Canada you can find that specific moth.

Types of Hawk-Moths in Canada

Moths are divided into different groups, called subfamilies. Here are the hawk-moths you can find in Canada, organized by their subfamily.

Macroglossinae Moths

This group of hawk-moths includes some really interesting species. Many of them are known for their fast flight and sometimes even hover like hummingbirds!

• Aellopos fadus (Cramer, 1776) - ON
• Aellopos tantalus (Linnaeus, 1758) - MB
• Aellopos titan (Cramer, 1777) - QC, ON
• Erinnyis alope (Drury, 1773) - SK
• Erinnyis ello (Linnaeus, 1758) - QC, ON
• Erinnyis obscura (Fabricius, 1775) - ON
• Hemaris diffinis (Boisduval, 1836) - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NT
• Hemaris gracilis (Grote & Robinson, 1865) - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK
• Hemaris senta (Strecker, 1878) - BC
• Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775) - NF, LB, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NT, YT
• Amphion floridensis Clark, 1920 - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, AB
• Darapsa choerilus (Cramer, [1780]) - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Darapsa myron (Cramer, 1780) - NS, QC, ON, MB
• Darapsa versicolor (Harris, 1839) - QC, ON
• Deidamia inscripta (Harris, 1839) - QC, ON
• Deilephila elpenor (Linnaeus, 1758) - BC
• Eumorpha achemon (Drury, 1773) - QC, ON, MB
• Eumorpha fasciatus (Sulzer, 1776) - NS, NB, ON
• Eumorpha labruscae (Linnaeus, 1758) - NB, MB, SK
• Eumorpha pandorus (Hübner, 1821) - NS, ON
• Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758) - ON, SK, AB
• Hyles gallii (Rottemburg, 1775) - LB, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NT, YT
• Hyles lineata (Fabricius, 1775) - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Proserpinus clarkiae (Boisduval, 1852) - AB, BC
• Proserpinus flavofasciata (Walker, 1856) - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NT
• Proserpinus juanita (Strecker, 1877) - MB, SK, AB
• Sphecodina abbottii (Swainson, 1821) - QC, ON
• Xylophanes tersa (Linnaeus, 1771) - QC, ON

Smerinthinae Moths

This subfamily includes moths that often have unique eye-like spots on their hindwings, which they flash to scare away predators.

• Amorpha juglandis (Smith, 1797) - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB
• Pachysphinx modesta (Harris, 1839) - LB, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Pachysphinx occidentalis (Edwards, 1875) - AB
• Paonias astylus (Drury, 1773) - NS
• Paonias excaecata (Smith, 1797) - LB, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Paonias myops (Smith, 1797) - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Smerinthus cerisyi Kirby, 1837 - NF, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NT, YT
• Smerinthus jamaicensis (Drury, 1773) - NF, LB, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, YT

Sphinginae Moths

This group contains many of the larger, more powerful hawk-moths. Their caterpillars are often quite large too!

• Agrius cingulata (Fabricius, 1775) - NS, NB, QC, ON, BC
• Ceratomia amyntor (Geyer, 1835) - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK
• Ceratomia catalpae (Boisduval, 1875) - ON
• Ceratomia undulosa (Walker, 1856) - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB
• Dolba hyloeus (Drury, 1773) - NB, QC, ON
• Lapara bombycoides Walker, 1856 - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB
• Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth, 1803) - NS, QC, ON, SK, BC
• Manduca rustica (Fabricius, 1775) - QC
• Manduca sexta (Linnaeus, 1763) - ON
• Paratrea plebeja (Fabricius, 1777) - ON
• Sphinx canadensis Boisduval, 1875 - NB, QC, ON, MB
• Sphinx chersis (Hübner, 1823) - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Sphinx drupiferarum Smith, 1797 - NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, BC
• Sphinx eremitus (Hübner, 1823) - NS, QC, ON
• Sphinx gordius Cramer, 1780 - ON, MB, SK
• Sphinx kalmiae Smith, 1797 - NF, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK
• Sphinx luscitiosa Clemens, 1859 - NS, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, YT
• Sphinx perelegans Edwards, 1874 - BC
• Sphinx pinastri Linnaeus, 1758 - AB
• Sphinx poecila Stephens, 1828 - LB, NS, PE, NB, QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC
• Sphinx vashti Strecker, 1878 - MB, SK, AB, BC