Moth Photographers Group – Hyles euphorbiae

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Sphingidae

890215 – 7892 Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Leafy Spurge Hawk Moth

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Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Euphorbiaceae. Host genera: Euphorbia. Notes: specialist on exotic Euphorbia virgata[=Euphorbia esula] (Crabo et al 2014); leaves (Wagner 2005). (Shropshire & Tallamy 2025 [accessed 6xii2025])
Similar Species:	Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758) (Sphinx) - MONA 1983: 7892 atrolimbata (Dannehl, 1929) (Celerio) conspicua (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Celerio) cretica Eitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1998 (Hyles) deserticola (Staudinger, 1901) (Deilephila) dolomiticola (Stauder, 1930) (Celerio) flavidior (Sohn-Rethel, 1929) (Celerio) elisabethae Ebert, 1996 (Hyles) esulae (Boisduval, 1834) (Deilephila) esulae (Hufnagel, 1766) (Sphinx) grentzenbergi-ziczac (Wladasch, 1929) (Celerio) etrusca (Verity, 1911) (Deilephila) nigrescens (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Celerio) gallaeci Gil-T., Requejo & Estévez, 2011 (Hyles) gecki de Freina, 1991 (Hyles) filapjewi (Bang-Haas, 1936) (Celerio) himyarensis Meerman, 1988 (Hyles) lucida (Derzhavets, 1980) (Celerio) orientalis (Ebert, 1969) (Celerio) paralias (Nickerl, 1837) (Deilephila) grentzenbergi (Staudinger, 1885) (Deilephila) peplidis (Christoph, 1894) (Deilephila) phaelipae Gil-T. & Gil-Uceda, 2012 (Hyles) robertsi (Butler, 1880) (Deilephila) rothschildi (Stauder, 1928) (Celerio) saharae (Günther, 1939) (Celerio) sammuti Eitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1998 (Hyles) sinensis (Closs, 1917) (Celerio) strasillai (Stauder, 1921) (Celerio) subiacensis (Dannehl, 1929) (Celerio) tiithymali (Boisduval, 1834) (Deilephila) vandalusica (Ribbe, 1910) (Celerio)
Taxonomic Notes:	Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758): This species was introduced from Europe to Canada for biocontrol of spurge (Euphorbia spp.; Euphorbiaceae), first in ON in 1965 (Kelleher & Hulme 1984). It was also released in USA beginning in NY in 1977. It has since become established across much of NA (Tuttle 2007). Synonyms have been corrected since 2023 to follow Kitching & Rougerie et al. (2018), however contrary to the latter we do not recognize any subspecies.

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
Hodges, R. W., 1971. Moths of America North of Mexico, Fascicle 21:p. 152; pl. 14.6. order or free PDF
Hufnagel, 1766. Zwote Tabelle worinnen die Abendvögel (Sphinges Linnaei) angezeigt, und denen vornehmsten Umständen nach beschrieben werden. Berlinisches Magazin, 2(2): 174-195.
Powell, J. A. & P. A. Opler, 2009. Moths of Western North America, Pl. 41.13m; p. 246. Book Review and ordering
Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
Species Page at Bill Oehlke's moth website - Hyles euphorbiae
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at E. H. Strickland Museum
Species Page at Pacific Northwest Moths
Species Page at iNaturalist
Species page at Moths of North Dakota.
Tuttle, J. P., 2007. Hawk Moths of North America: p. 209; pl. 2.6.

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University

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