Hemaris

Dalman, 1816

clearwing moths, hummingbird moths, bee hawk-moths

Species Guides

Hemaris aethra(Diervilla Clearwing)
Hemaris diffinis(Snowberry Clearwing)
Hemaris gracilis(slender clearwing)
Hemaris thetis(Rocky Mountain Clearwing)
Hemaris thysbe(Hummingbird Clearwing)

Hemaris is a of sphinx moths in the Sphingidae, native to the Holarctic region. are small, bumblebee mimics with transparent wing patches created by shed , and are often mistaken for hummingbirds in . The genus includes 23 accepted , with five native to North America and three to Europe. Larvae are hornworms that feed primarily on plants in the honeysuckle and teasel families.

Hemaris aethra by (c) Michael Nerrie, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michael Nerrie. Used under a CC-BY license.

Hemaris gracilis antennae - MHNT CUT 2010 0 509 - Chester Maine USA - male dorsal by
Didier Descouens. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Hemaris gracilis BMNHE274285 male up by The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Hemaris: //hɛˈmɛˌrɪs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Distinguished from similar Macroglossum (hummingbird hawk-) by transparent wing discs— are dropped soon after in Hemaris, while Macroglossum retains scaled wings. Distinguished from Sesiidae (clearwing moths) by wing coupling structure: Hemaris has a -retinaculum system typical of Sphingidae, while Sesiidae have additional interlocking scale series. Distinguished from bumblebees by hovering (bees must land to feed) and single pair of functional wings. -level identification often requires examination of genitalia: males have asymmetrical genitalia with uncus divided into two subequal sclerotized lobes; females have ostium bursae angled to the left.

Images

Habitat

Forest edges, clearings, meadows, and riparian zones with abundant flowering vegetation. In the Russian Far East, occurs in forested areas and meadows. Many associated with supporting their larval plants: shrub and vining honeysuckles, teasels, hawthorn, snowberry, and other woody and herbaceous plants.

Distribution

Holarctic distribution. Five native to North America (including H. diffinis, H. thysbe, H. gracilis, H. thetis, and H. aethra), three to Europe. H. aethra occurs from Manitoba to Nova Scotia and adjacent United States, with strict sympatry with H. diffinis in eastern Ontario. Other species distributed across Asia, including the Russian Far East.

Seasonality

active diurnally and crepuscularly. Multiple per year in southern parts of range (two generations in southern states), single generation in northern range. period varies by and latitude.

Diet

feed on nectar from deep tubular flowers including honeysuckle, snowberry, lilac, phlox, balm, trumpet vine, vetch, bush, and thistles. Long allows access to nectar in deep blossoms. Larvae feed on foliage of plants in Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckles, viburnums), Dipsacaceae (teasels), and other including Rosaceae (hawthorn, brambles) and Ericaceae (blueberries).

Host Associations

Lonicera - larval food plantshrub and vining honeysuckles
Dipsacus - larval food plantteasels
Viburnum - larval food plant
Symphoricarpos - larval food plantsnowberry
Crataegus - larval food planthawthorn
Rubus - larval food plantbrambles
Vaccinium - larval food plantblueberries; H. gracilis feeds exclusively on this

Life Cycle

laid on plants. Larvae feed externally on foliage, passing through several instars. Mature larvae descend to ground and pupate in loosely spun cocoon in soil or leaf litter. stage varies: some overwinter as pupae, others may have multiple with different overwintering strategies depending on latitude.

Behavior

with rapid, hovering while feeding at flowers—resembling hummingbirds. Hovering allows access to nectar without landing, unlike bumblebees which must land. are strong, agile fliers. Bumblebee mimicry serves as defense: predators that have learned to avoid stinging bumblebees avoid these harmless . Evidence for true mimicry includes geographic variation in color pattern matching local bumblebee .

Ecological Role

Important of flowering plants, especially those with deep tubular corollas. At least one native orchid, Platanthera lacera (green fringed orchid), relies on Hemaris thysbe for pollination. transfer pollen while feeding on nectar. Larvae function as herbivores in forest and meadow .

Human Relevance

Subjects of ecological and evolutionary research due to mimicry systems. H. diffinis featured on UC Davis entomology graduate student t-shirt design titled "Wanna-bees." Some occasionally encountered in gardens where plants grow. No significant economic impact as pests or beneficial species in agriculture, though larvae may occasionally feed on ornamental honeysuckles.

Similar Taxa

MacroglossumOld World hummingbird hawk- similar in appearance and habits, but retain wing throughout life; Hemaris drops scales to create transparent patches
SesiidaeClearwing moths also have transparent wings and -like appearance, but have different wing coupling structure (additional interlocking ) and are generally more slender with different wing shape
BombusBumblebees are the mimicry models; distinguished by two pairs of wings (four total), landing to feed, and stinging capability

More Details

Cryptic species

Hemaris aethra was resurrected as a distinct from H. diffinis in 2018 based on molecular, morphological, and natural history evidence. Despite highly divergent mtDNA and differing larval phenotypes, are externally nearly identical due to in bumblebee mimicry. H. aethra has a more northerly distribution and is more closely related to western H. thetis than to H. diffinis.

Nomenclature

Known as 'clearwing moths' or 'hummingbird moths' in North America, and ' hawk-' in Britain. vary by : H. thysbe is 'hummingbird clearwing' or 'common clearwing'; H. diffinis is 'snowberry clearwing' or 'bumblebee sphinx moth'; H. gracilis is 'slender clearwing' or 'graceful clearwing'.