White-lined sphinx

Description

Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known 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. Larvae show wide variation in color. The larvae are black with orange spots arranged in lines down the whole body. Their head's prothoracic shield, and the anal plate, are one color, either green or orange with small black dots.An orange horn protruding from the back of the body is a distinguishing characteristic of Hyles lineata caterpillars.his horn, which may sometimes be yellow and have a black tip, is not a stinger, and the caterpillars are not harmful to humans. The larva can also sometimes be lime green and black. With such a wide geographic range, H. lineata are known to live a variety of habitats, including deserts, gardens and suburbs.They have also been seen in abundance in the mountains of Colorado, but their presence varies from year to year in many places. Larvae show wide variation in color. The larvae are black with orange spots arranged in lines down the whole body. Their head's prothoracic shield, and the anal plate, are one color, either green or orange with small black dots. An orange horn protruding from the back of the body is a distinguishing characteristic of Hyles lineata caterpillars.This horn, which may sometimes be yellow and have a black tip, is not a stinger, and the caterpillars are not harmful to humans.The larva can also sometimes be lime green and black. The forewing is dark brown with a tan stripe which extends from the base to the apex. There are also white lines that cover the veins. The black hindwing has a broad pink median band. It has a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches. This moth is large and has a stout furry body. The dorsal hind region is crossed by six distinct white stripes and similar striping patterns on the wings. The hindwing are black with a thick, red-pink stripe in the middle.