Sphinx franckii Neumoegen, 1893
Franck's Sphinx
NatureServe Global Rank: G4
Virginia State Rank: S2S3
VA DGIF Tier: None
Federal Legal Status: None
Virginia Legal Status: None
Description: Outer margins of wings are slightly concave in the female, but not in the male. Costal half of forewing is gray, the rest of the forewing is warm yellowish brown. Lines are obscure except the st. line, which is black and broadens to form a diffuse black blotch at the anal angle. The hindwing is black with a brown basal patch and median band. Wingspan is 10-12.8 cm.
Similar species: The Laural Sphinx (Sphinx kalmiae) is somewhat similar, but its wings are not as elongate and the trailing edge of the front wing is dark colored, instead of the light seen in Franck's Sphinx.
North American Range: New Jersey to northern Florida, west to Iowa, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
VA Observations by Locality: Montgomery | Giles | Montgomery | Rockingham | Amherst | Augusta | Scott | York
Flight season and broods: Late June to mid-July. Some adults also emerge in August and September some years as a second brood.
Habitat and Food Plants: Larvae feed on Elms and species of Ash (Fraxinus). Like most Ash-feeding Sphinginae, they can also be reared on exotic/invasive Privets.
Behavior and Ecology: This species is at least partially double-brooded in most of its range. Adults occur mostly in June and July, but also through August, and start in May in Florida. The egg stage takes about five to seven days and the larval stage about four to five weeks. Pupae overwinter in the soil.
Population trend and potential threats: Less rare than once believed, but local and uncommon.
Management practices: None yet
References: Covell, Charles V. Covell, Jr.; A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America; Special Publication No. 12; Virginia Museum of Natural History in association with the Smithsonian Institution; 1984, 2005. P. 35.
Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University. Web application at: http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/large_map.php?hodges=7808 Accessed: 21Apr2013
NatureServe. 2012. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: November 4, 2012 ).