Nessus sphinx
The Nessus sphinx is a hawk moth that flies in the daytime. It has reddish brown wings, a stout body with two bright yellow stripes around its belly, and a fan-shaped tuft of hair at its tail, like a little bird.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
How big is Nessus sphinx compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It is one of the day-flying moths seen most often in eastern North America.
In the north there is one family a year, but in the south there are two.
Its first scientific name had already been used for another moth, so it had to get a new name in 1920.
Its back wings have a reddish band across the middle.
Most asked questions about Nessus sphinx
?Is the Nessus sphinx a moth or a hummingbird?
It is a moth. It flies in the daytime and visits flowers, and its tail tuft makes it look a bit like a tiny bird.
?What does the Nessus sphinx eat?
The moth drinks flower nectar. Its caterpillars eat grape vine leaves.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Amphion floridensis
- Named by
- Cramer, 1777
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Sphingidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Sphingidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Amphion floridensis (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
Bordered mantis
Robust cicada
Golden northern bumblebee
Buffalo treehopper
Common green grasshopper
Australian stick mantis.jpg){kind=link}