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Home BYGL Bug Bytes July 17, 2008 HUMMERS THAT AREN'T BIRDS
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Once again, BYGLers are receiving calls about hovering critters that look and act like humming birds, but are a little too small to really be a bird. Many callers describe the animal very well because they are flying during the day and thus are quite visible; and the callers also suspect that it is an insect, but just can't believe that it really is an insect. What they are observing are moths belonging to the Lepidopterous family, Sphingidae. Moths in this family are referred to as sphinx or hawk moths. Most of the moths in this family are nighttime fliers, but a few are daytime fliers and are referred to as the HUMMINGBIRD MOTHS (Hemaris spp.). Three species of hummingbird moths can be found in Ohio, the most common of which are the HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING (Hemaris thysbe) and the SNOWBERRY CLEARWING (H. diffinis). The most seldom seen is the SLENDER CLEARWING (H. gracilis).

The hummingbird clearwing has a greenish body and a dark reddish-brown band near the back of the body. Its wing-span is nearly 2", and the wings are almost devoid of scales, thus the clearwing common name. The snowberry clearwing is yellow and black striped like a bumblebee with a wingspan of 1- 2". The least common species is the slender clearwing moth, which is slightly smaller than the hummingbird clearwing. This moth also has a more yellow body and a gold ring between the yellow portion and the dark band near the abdomen. A distinction that needs to be made at this point is that although they are called clearwings, they are not the clearwings that produce larvae that are destructive borers such as the banded ash clearwing moth which belong to the Lepidopterous family, Sesiidae.

The caterpillar of the hummingbird moths are leaf feeders and are called hornworms. They commonly feed on are honeysuckles and viburnums. Their feeding may benefit the environment by feeding on the invasive honeysuckles. Perhaps they are helping to deplete noxious species of honeysuckle, growing out of control in many woods, stream edges and fence rows! Photo: cd0006-495.jpeg

For more information, see:

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 20:25 )
 

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