Conservation Status
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A widespread species at the northern edge of its range in Alberta.
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Cyclicity
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Adults have been collected in Alberta from late May though July.
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Distribution
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Primarily a moth of the hardwood forests, chersis is found throughout much of the treed portions of North America south of the boreal forest and extending south into northern Mexico. In Alberta, it has been reported only in the grasslands region, from the South Saskatchewan River south.
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General Description
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A large (9.0-13.0 cm wingspan) narrow-winged dull grey moth. The forewings each have four fine horizontal black dashes, the uppermost reaching the apex, and a small diffuse black blotch at the wing base. The hindwings are pale grey with two broad black horizontal bands. The abdomen has a series of large alternating black and white spots along the sides. The much commoner S. vashti averages much smaller than chersis (6.5-10.0 cm wingspan), and has sharper black dashes and better defined banding, and usually has a paler forewing costa, especially on the basal half. Other Alberta Sphinx species have either extensive black on the forewings or very different patterns.
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Habitat
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Dry woodland, urban areas and other plantations.
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Life Cycle
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Adults are mainly nocturnal, and come to light, but will also visit flowers for nectar late in the evening. The larvae are solitary defoliators. The pupae overwinter in the soil. There is a single brood each year.
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Trophic Strategy
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No Alberta data. Elsewhere in Canada, ash (Fraxinus sp.), yellow and white birch (Betula sp.), pincherry (Prunus pennsylvanica), Dogwood (Cornus sp.) and Canada plum (Prunus nigra). Other hosts reported in the literature include, lilac (Syringa), aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Ligustrum. Adults have been observed nectaring at garden flowers at dusk in Saskatchewan.
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Sphinx chersis
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Sphinx chersis, the great ash sphinx or northern ash sphinx, is a moth that belongs to the family Sphingidae.
Appearance
This insect has a large wing span (90 to 130 mm). The upperside of the forewing is soft dark gray to blue gray with a series of black dashes, one of which reaches the wing tip. The upperside of the hindwing is black with blurry pale gray bands. The larva of this species is typically light green with blue dashes and a bluish-green horn, but there is a red morph as well. Its appearance is very similar to that of others in the subfamily Sphinginae.
Biology
Its larvae feed upon various plants in the olive family (Oleaceae) such as lilacs (Syringa spp.), ashes (Fraxinus spp.), and privet (Ligustrum vulgare). Mature caterpillars pupate in subterranean chambers when they have finished feeding, and here the pupae stay dormant until the next year. The moth emerges any time from May to August in the South, but is only found from June to July farther north. Adults feed at dusk on deep-throated flowers and have been sighted at honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), evening primroses (in the family Onagraceae), dogbane (Apocynum spp.), phlox (Phlox spp.), and bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis).
Distribution
This species occurs in northern Mexico and throughout most of the United States, wherever the larval hosts are present, though it is uncommon in the Gulf States.
Subspecies
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Sphinx chersis chersis (from Mexico north through most of the United States)
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Sphinx chersis mexicanus Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Mexico)
References
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Sphinx chersis: Brief Summary
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Sphinx chersis, the great ash sphinx or northern ash sphinx, is a moth that belongs to the family Sphingidae.
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