Hemaris thysbe

Hummingbird clearwing
Feeding adult
Larva
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Hemaris
Species:	H. thysbe
Binomial name
Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Sesia thysbe Fabricius, 1775 Haemorrhagia buffaloensis Grote & Robinson, 1867 Haemorrhagia floridensis Grote & Robinson, 1867 Macroglossa etolus Boisduval, 1875 Macroglossa pyramus Boisduval, 1875 Sesia cimbiciformis Stephens, 1828 Sesia fuscicaudis Walker, 1856 Sesia ruficaudis Kirby, 1837 Sesia uniformis Grote, 1868 Sphinx pelasgus Cramer, 1779

Hemaris thysbe, the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae (hawkmoths). Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.

Hemaris thysbe is found in a large portion of North America, with a range extending from Alaska to Oregon in the west and from Newfoundland to Florida in the east. It is a migratory species and is most common in southern Ontario and the eastern United States. H. thysbe has two broods a year in the southern portion of its range, but only one in the north. As a caterpillar, it feeds on honeysuckle, dogbane,^[1] and several types of fruit trees.

Due to the variable appearance of H. thysbe, it has often been mistakenly described as multiple distinct species. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. The moth is a flower pollinator.