Insect · GBIF taxon 1863034
Pellucid Hawkmoth
Cephonodes hylasAlso known as Coffee Bee Hawkmoth, Coffee Clearwing, Bee Hawk Moth
Pellucid hawkmoths are day-flying marvels renowned for their transparent wings and remarkable resemblance to bumblebees. Adults emerge from their pupae with a delicate coating of scales that sheds rapidly during their very first flight, leaving behind clear membranes framed by dark borders. Hovering with extreme precision, they use a long proboscis to drink nectar from blossoms while darting rapidly between garden shrubs and open forest edges.
DiurnalPollinatorFast-flying
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Flower nectar
- Gardenia leaves
- Coffee leaves
Predators
- Insectivorous birds
- Praying mantises
- Orb-weaver spiders
ThreatsIndiscriminate pesticide use in agricultural areas and loss of flowering host plants
HabitatsTropical and subtropical gardens, orchards, secondary forests, and woodland clearings
Life spanSeveral weeks as adult; total lifecycle roughly 1 to 2 months
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderLepidoptera
- FamilySphingidae
- GenusCephonodes
- SpeciesCephonodes hylas
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Garden Observation: Watch flowering shrubs like lantana, ixora, and gardenia in bright sunlight.
- Photography Approach: Use a fast shutter speed to freeze their rapid wing movements as they hover.
- Caterpillar Hunting: Check the undersides of gardenia leaves for bright green, horned larvae.
Host Plant no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Ecological Counterpart (c) Jonas Ahrentorp, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Host Plant (c) Forest and Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Same Family (c) Smudge 9000, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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Found in Collections
Species set
Moonlight Marvels
Pellucid Hawkmoth is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
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