Sphinx vashti, the Vashti sphinx, is a member of the family Sphingidae of moths. It is found in North America from British Columbia east to Manitoba, south to southern California, Nevada, central Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.

Vashti sphinx
Sphinx vashti
Sphinx vashti ♂ △
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Sphinx
Species:
S. vashti
Binomial name
Sphinx vashti
Synonyms
  • Hyloicus gerhardi Barnes & Benjamin, 1924
  • Sphinx albescens Tepper, 1881
  • Sphinx mordecai McDunnough, 1923

The pattern and wing length are highly variable. The forewing ranges from pale to very dark gray with paler gray at the base of the costa, the wing tip, and on the outer margin. A series of black dashes ends with the topmost one reaching the wing tip. The hindwing is black with white bands. There is one brood per year.

The larvae feed on snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus).

References

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  1. ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
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