InsectNet forum

So many neat Sphinx moths to be found
This case has no duplicate species!
(Almost) all from the US.

Lots of variety in that family.
Very nice representative drawer !

Nice drawer, nice variety. I love sphinx moths but they don't get enough attention in this forum. Here are some of my drawers, all from N. America. Lots of duplicate species, however.

The North American Sphingidae are spectacular, and in that every region has some fabulous species, they do merit more attention.

Recently I was going through online resources and wow it's amazing the number of now-known species that aren't cited in Covell's Moth Book. Amazing what 40 years has done to our knowledge of the Sphingidae.

In my area in NE USA though, I've observed the Sphingid populations crash like the Saturnid populations. Some, like Ceratomia amyntor and Sphinx chersis, I've not seen in decades.

The best resource for N. Am. sphingidae that I know of is Hawkmoths of N. America by James Tuttle. Detailed info, range maps, large pictures. All, or almost all, N. Am. species are covered. It's probably out of print by now, but there could be some copies available on ebay.

Some more North American sphingids, majority self caught, balance acquired via trade.

A few more

Glad to see there are other sphinx collectors out there. Impressive collections. While we're at it, I'll throw in couple of more drawers. Maybe others have some from other continents.

https://www.sphingidae.us/

This is also an excellent website and basically continues the work by Tuttle et al. I have this book and agree it is superb. Used copies are about $100.

Thanks for the link, Eurytides. I was unaware of it.

Here's one drawer of foreign material, it's in the "to go" pile. Most date to the 1960s and 1970s and are wild-captured.