Small-eyed sphinx
Paonias myops
The small-eyed sphinx is a hawk moth with a sturdy body and strong wings. It is a real night owl, even more active in the dark than most of its relatives. Its wings stretch about as wide as a child's hand.
Lives in
From southeastern Canada to Florida, west almost to the Pacific coast, and in Mexico
Wingspan
5.2 to 6.9 cm (2 to 2.7 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Like other hawk moths, its caterpillar eats the leaves of plants.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🧱wings as wide as 2 toy building bricks⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 9 seconds
How big is Small-eyed sphinx compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
Small-eyed sphinx about 42 km/h (26 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
In eastern Canada the moths fly from June to September.
2
In warm Louisiana there can be four families of moths in one year, but in New Jersey only two.
3
It flies late at night, later than most hawk moths.
you asked
Most asked questions about Small-eyed sphinx
?How big is the small-eyed sphinx?
Its wingspan is about 5 to 7 centimetres.
?Is the small-eyed sphinx dangerous?
No. It is a harmless moth that cannot bite or sting.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Paonias myops
- Named by
- J. E. Smith, 1797
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Paonias myops (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip
Atlas moth
Luna moth
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Domestic silk moth
Isabella tiger moth
Polyphemus moth
Dreamy duskywing
White M hairstreak
Grey count
Orange-spotted scaphidium
Northern two-striped walkingstick
Oak leaf gall midge.jpg){kind=link}