Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Incense cedar sphinx
Sphinx libocedrus Hy. Edwards, 1881


Family: Sphingidae
Subfamily: Sphinginae
Identification: Forewing is pale blue-gray to dark gray with a black dash reaching the wing tip and a white stripe along the lower outer margin. Hindwing is black with 2 diffuse white bands.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 3 1/4 inches (7 - 8 cm).
Life History: Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in underground burrows.
Flight: . One brood from July-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: New Mexican forestiera (Forestiera neomexicana) in the olive family.
Adult Food: Probably flower nectar.
Habitat: Arid chaparral, brushlands, and prairie breaks.
Range: Texas west through New Mexico and Arizona to southern California, south to Sonora and Baja California Sur.
Conservation: Population status survey and study of ecological requirements is recommended.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL