MPG (species pages only) MPG (entire website) Entire Web

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Sphingidae 890211 – 7890   Xylophanes tersa (Linnaeus, 1771)              Tersa Sphinx

Photographs are the copyrighted property of each photographer listed. Contact individual photographers for permission to use for any purpose.

© Valerie G. Bugh Large Map & Chart Report Errors About Maps

Larva and Host Plants: Host familiy: Bignoniaceae Boraginaceae Ebenaceae Euphorbiaceae Fabaceae Lythraceae Myrtaceae Rubiaceae.  Host genera: Bouvardia Bourreria Catalpa Cephalanthus Croton Diodia Diospyros Eucalyptus Hamelia Heimia Galium[=Asperula] Manettia Morinda Phaseolus Pentas Psychotria Richardia Rubia Spermacoce.  Notes: other woody plants, leaves (Wagner 2005).  (Shropshire & Douglas 2025) Similar Species: Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.) Synonymy: tersa (Linnaeus, 1771) (Sphinx) - MONA 1983: 7890 tersa (Linnaeus, 1771) (Sphinx)  cubensis Gehlen, 1941 (Xylophanes)  tristis Closs, 1918 (Xylophanes)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced. Hall et al., 2021. The Moths of North Carolina - website (identification, habitats and life history) Hodges, R. W., 1971. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 21:p. 150; pl. 13.18. order or free PDF Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online) Species Page at Bill Oehlke's moth website - Xylophanes tersa Species Page at BugGuide.Net Species Page at Mass Moths Species Page at iNaturalist Tuttle, J. P., 2007. Hawk Moths of North America: p. 206; pl. 2.3.

© Bob Patterson © Darryl Searcy © Karen Brooks © Ken Childs © Carol Wolf

LG – © Jim Troubridge 70mm – © Jim Vargo

© Jerry Armstrong LG © Troy Bartlett © McGuire Center LG © McGuire Center LG © Alan Chin-Lee 5th instar © Lee Ruth © Valerie G. Bugh © McGuire Center LG © Alan Chin-Lee © Hannah Nendick-Mason © Hannah Nendick-Mason © Valerie G. Bugh © Jerry Armstrong LG

Moth Photographers Group  at the  Mississippi Entomological Museum  at the  Mississippi State University

Send suggestions, or submit photographs to Webmaster — Moth Photographers Group

Database design and scripting support provided by Mike Boone