69.007 : 1978 : 6834
Sphingidae : Sphinginae

Pine Hawk-moth

SPHINX pinastri Linnaeus, 1758
Picture
Life Cycle Guide
Picture
Description
Wingspan: 65-80mm
Worldwide Distribution: Palearctic-Europe/Asia/N Africa & Nearctic Ecozones-N America
UK Distribution: Resident : Local : Established in the southern counties of Dorset,Hampshire,isle of Wight,Surrey,Sussex,Kent,East Anglia,London area,Bedfordshire,Oxfordshire and Berkshire.Since middle of 20th century has become established in Lincolnshire ,Yorkshire and occasionally Devon,Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire.
UK Conservation Status -
  • Local = 101 - 300 10Km Squares
European Conservation Status -
  • Least Concern
Original Species Name -
  • Sphinx pinastri Linnaeus 1758
Type Species - Sphinx
  • Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758
Type Locality -
  • Not Specified
Flight Period:  April-late September in the south,slighter shorter season elsewhere.
Habitat: Pine forests : Heathland where Pines prevail
Similar Species -
  • None
Larva: August-November in south-Late June-Late September.The larva varies in colour through the instars from bright green with yellow lateral lines to the final instar which has intermittent yellow lateral lines the lower of these having black spots with smaller reddish brown spots inside situated centrally between the abdominal segments.On top of the larva is wide brown lateral band with a "black horn" situated towards the rear.In some indivuduals the brown lateral band almost encompasses the complete larva.
The larvae are found in small and large pines but show a preference towards older pine needles.
Pupa: pupates on ground under leaf litter or just underground.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: Although as hawk-moths go this moth would be described as plain I find the brown markings on the forewing resembles an open pine cone and as such would provide useful camouflage, somewhat the same way as the pine bark must do.

It is with the memories of my early years here in N E Hampshire that I remember the increase in Pine plantations on Forestry Commission ground presumably planted to supply the needs of the newspaper producers.
The acid heathland would allow this to happen and as such there was an upturn in the Pine Hawk's numbers as a result of these actions.
Over the past few years the reverse has been happening in this area as well as the top dressing being scraped to give access to gravel working so it remains to be seen how these actions affect the Pine Hawk-moth. No doubt this has happened throughout the moths range.

The moth is nocturnal and is attracted to light and feeds from flowers.

Photo gallery

Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website where further information like photos,physical characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
  • Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
Larval Food Plants
Taxonomy
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Type Species - SPHINX:

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Forms/Aberrations:
Animalia
Eumetozoa
Arthropoda
Hexapoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Bombycoidea
Sphingidae
Sphinginae
Sphingini
SPHINX Hübner, 1819
Sphinx pinastri Linnaeus, 1758
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Sphinx ligustri Linnaeus, 1758
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SPHINX pinastri Linnaeus, 1758
= Hyloicus pinastri Linnaeus, 1758
= Sphinx piceae Gleditsch, 1775
= Sphinx saniptri Strecker, 1876
= Hyloicus asiaticus Butler, 1875
= fasciata Lampa, 1885
= brunnea Spuler, 1903
= grisea Tutt, 1904
= grisea-distincta Tutt, 1904
= grisea-mediopuncta Tutt, 1904
= grisea-transversa Tutt, 1904
= typica-virgata Tutt, 1904
= unicolor Tutt, 1904
= albicans Austaut, 1907
= fuliginosa Lambillion, 1907
= ferrea Closs, 1920
= vittata Closs, 1920)
= minor Stephan, 1924
= rubida Cabeau, 1925
= semilugens Andreas, 1925
= albescens Cockayne, 1926
= albicolor Cockayne, 1926
= stehri Stephan, 1926
= Hyloicus pinastri cenisius Jordan, 1931
= Hyloicus pinastri medialis Jordan, 1931
= nigrescens Lempke, 1959
= cingulata Lempke, 1964
= Hyloicus pinastri euximus Derzhavets, 1979
= selon de Freina & Witt, 1987
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Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page :  p.492 - n. 20
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Not Specified
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SPHINX Linnaeus 1758-Genus
= Hyloecus Agassiz 1846
= Herse Agassiz 1846
= Hyloecus Kuznetsova 1906
= Hyloicus Hübner 1819
= Lintneria Butler 1876
= Mesosphinx Cockerell 1920
= Phinx Fuessly 1781
= Spectrum Scopoli 1777
= Sphynx Pallas 1771
= Gargantua Kirby 1892
= Lethia Hübner 1819
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S.p.fasciata Lampa, 1865-Forewings-cross-lines further apart,streaks missing
S.p.virgata Tutt, 1904-Background light grey,two cross-lines joined together
S.p.brunnea Spuler, 1903-Body and wing colour dark brown,markings persisit
S.p.nigrescens Lempke, 1959-Wings and body blackish,markings persist