The Intermediate Sphinx (Eumorpha intermedia) is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

Sphingidae

Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family. It lives in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, and South Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 90-98 mm. It is similar to Eumorpha pandorus and Eumorpha satellitia licaon

Eumorpha satellitia

The Satellite sphinx is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It lives from Brazil and northern Argentina north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to south Texas and southern Arizona....

, but closer to the latter. The forewing underside is dark brown with a distinct pink tinge, especially on the hindwing. The hindwing upperside is similar in colour to Eumorpha satellitia licaon.

Adults are on wing from April to October. They nectar at various flowers.

The larvae feed on Ampelopsis arborea

Ampelopsis arborea

Ampelopsis arborea, commonly known as Pepper vine, is native to the Southeastern United States, Texas, and New Mexico.-Synonyms:Its synonyms include: Ampelopsis bipinnata Michx., Ampelopsis pinnata DC., Cissus arborea Des Moul., Cissus bipinnata Elliott, Cissus orientalis Lam., Cissus stans...

and possibly Vitis

Vitis

Vitis is a genus of about 60 species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce...

species. There are green and red-brown forms. Early instars have a long white horn with a black tip, which is not present for the final instar. Pupation takes place in a shallow underground chamber.

External links

• Intermediate sphinx Butterflies and Moths of North America