Talk:Sphingidae

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I just observed an american Hummingbird moth, and am thankful for this well written article. One comment though, or question perhaps: The hovering quality of flight is described as an example of convergent evolution, which seems most accurate to me, but is it not also mimicry (the article doesnt mention this at all)? It seems to me (though I'm no biologist) that the resemblance between these moths and hummingbirds goes beyond the way they fly, and that they tend towards the appearance of the common hummingbird enough to fool many birds who would otherwise see them as food, not another bird. Is this likely, unlikely, researched or unresearched? Thanks again. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.254.205.53 (talk) 18:00, August 26, 2007 (UTC)

Family does not have a type species...

Just a type genus, in this case Sphinx.--Wloveral (talk) 06:04, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Death's Head Moth on Silence of the Lambs Cover Picture?

I'm not much of an entomologist, but isn't that so? 164.64.164.35 (talk) 16:57, 27 September 2011 (UTC)

Additional Information Under Behavior Section

Hello! I am a student at Washington University in St. Louis, interested in learning about butterflies and moths. Thank you for this article! I thought it was very informative and interesting. One suggestion I have is to expand/explore on the comment above on whether the Sphingidae's unique flying ability is due to convergent evolution or due to mimicry, and adding a separate subsection detailing this. Additionally, I would suggest adding a section on any information known about the moth's mating patterns and habits, since reproduction is such an important aspects of the moth's life cycle. Lastly, there is not too much information on where the moth lives or the types of climates it inhabits, integral information I believe readers should have access to if researching the Sphingidae. Again, thank you for all the information in this article! Pranita.kaginele (talk) 23:28, 14 September 2017 (UTC)

Conflicting information

In the main description you have "This hovering capability is only known to have evolved four times in nectar feeders: in hummingbirds, certain bats, hoverflies, and these sphingids" This means hummingbirds, some bats, Syrphidae, and Sphingids. But the Bombyliidae article specifically says that Bombyliidae hover exactly like these as well. "As with hoverflies, bee flies are capable of sudden acceleration or deceleration, all but momentum-free high-speed changes of direction, superb control of position while hovering in mid-air, " "those bee fly species which have a long proboscis generally feed while continuing to hover in the air, rather like Sphingidae"

These are pretty significant statements about these species, so they needs to be resolved! PoofyGummy (talk) 12:30, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Ecology, Evolution and Diversity in Mexico

This article is currently the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 30 June 2026 and 7 August 2026. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Emillyperez (article contribs). Peer reviewers: B.Price.123.

— Assignment last updated by Aetericynn (talk) 23:57, 25 July 2026 (UTC)