Syn. Sphinx Tersa, Linn. Mant. p. 538. Drury, App. vol. 2. Cramer, tab. 397. fig. C. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 378. No. 69. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2379. No. 71. Abbot and Smith Ins. Georg. 1. tab. 38.
Habitat: Maryland, Jamaica, St. Christopher, Antigua (Drury). South America (Fabricius). Georgia (Abbot).
Upper Side. Head flesh-coloured; which colour, separating at the neck, runs on each side of the thorax to the abdomen. Thorax and abdomen dark clay colour. Abdomen pointed; the sides being of a yellower colour than the top. Anterior wings greyish olive brown; from the tips to the middle of the posterior margin run several narrow lines of lighter and darker colours, parallel with each other. Posterior wings, at the base, black; but along the external margin brown; having a row of narrow angular marks of a cream colour running from the anal angle to the anterior edges. Cilia white.
Under Side. Thorax and abdomen clay-coloured; paler on the middle than the sides. Wings red clay-coloured; the anterior brown in the middle, and the posterior having some faint waved lines crossing them; each wing having a row of faint small spots along their external margin.
The caterpillar of this insect, figured by Abbot and Smith, is of a pale green colour, with the three anterior segments elongated and attenuated in front, having seven beautiful white eye-like spots on each side, with a red pupil, and margined with black; the anterior ocellus being the largest. These ocelli are united by a lateral white line, terminating at the base of the straight red tail. It feeds upon the wild thyme (Spermacoce Hyssopifolia, Sm.) Some of them are stated by Abbot to be brown. One was observed by the same author to spin itself up on the 31st of July, from which the moth appeared on the 15th of August; whilst another which spun up on the 11th of September, remained in the chrysalis state until the 9th of May. When disturbed, the caterpillar contracts the anterior segments of the body.[[22]] The chrysalis is of a pale brown colour, freckled with darker marks. It is not provided with a porrected tongue-case.
SPHINX STRIGILES.
Plate [XXVIII]. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia. Family: Sphingidæ, Leach.
Genus. Sphinx, Auct.
Sphinx Strigiles. Alis integerrimis griseis, margine externo anticarum obscuro; posticis fulvis strigis tribus transversis fuscis. (Expans. Alar. 5 unc. 3 lin.)