Tersa Sphinx
Xylophanes tersa (Linnaeus, 1771)
Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Macroglossinae
Identification: Forewing upperside is pale brown with lavender-gray at the base and dark brown lengthwise lines throughout. Hindwing upperside is dark brown with a band of whitish wedge-shaped marks.
Wing Span: 2 3/8 - 3 1/8 inches (6 - 8 cm).
Life History: Adults begin feeding at sunset.
Flight: . One brood in the north from May-October, several broods in Florida and Louisiana from February-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Smooth buttonplant (Spermacoce glabra), starclusters (Pentas species), Borreria, Catalpa, and Manettia species.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including honeysuckle (Lonicera).
Habitat: Not reported.
Range: Massachusetts south to south Florida; west to Nebraska, New Mexico, and southern Arizona; south through Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America to Argentina.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 913 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 17, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2015
Submitted by: LLJohnson
Region: Dominican Republic
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Sep 29, 2021
Submitted by: Lisa McClendon
Region: Scott County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: jamesdurbin
Verified date: Sep 05, 2022
Observation date: Aug 27, 2022
Submitted by: Honeyfox
Region: Marion County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 28, 2022
Observation date: Aug 19, 2016
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Burke County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 13, 2022
Observation date: Sep 12, 2021
Submitted by: MezzieRow
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 16, 2021
Submitted by: Docriebe
Region: Baldwin County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 29, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2021
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: White County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 26, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2022
Submitted by: SamAdams
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 19, 2022
Submitted by: Vedni
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 19, 2022
Observation date: Jun 13, 2022
Submitted by: JendenT
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 15, 2022
Observation date: May 14, 2022
Submitted by: Quickcat49
Region: Carteret County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 15, 2022
Observation date: Apr 23, 2022
Submitted by: Ryan84
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Apr 25, 2022
Observation date: Apr 11, 2022
Submitted by: Helen Cunningham
Region: Texas, Medina County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 12, 2022
Observation date: Mar 16, 2022
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 17, 2022
Observation date: Mar 13, 2022
Submitted by: LAR.99
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 14, 2022
Observation date: Dec 04, 2020
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Feb 14, 2022
Submitted by: dawittrock2231
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 22, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2020
Submitted by: timothypresley66
Region: Gordon County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 12, 2022
Observation date: Dec 12, 2014
Submitted by: markos poulis
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 31, 2022
Observation date: Feb 20, 2019
Submitted by: alaverick
Region: Horry County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: Jan 02, 2022
Observation date: Nov 07, 2021
Submitted by: C Devon Brown
Region: Baldwin County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 13, 2021
Observation date: Dec 07, 2021
Submitted by: james.trexler.1...
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 08, 2021
Observation date: Dec 14, 2016
Submitted by: Dagun
Region: New York County, New York, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 31, 2021
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