Ukrainian Sphingidae
Death’s Head hawkmoth – Acherontia atropos
Distribution. A Paleotropical species, widely distributed throughout Africa, the Near and Middle East, and the Mediterranean, from where it regularly migrates north to Central and Northern Europe; the easternmost finds are known from northeastern Kazakhstan. In Ukraine, it is a non-resident species, known in all regions, where it occurs sporadically during migrations and establishes temporary colonies that are constantly reinforced or renewed by subsequent migration waves from the South. In the South, it happens every year; maybe in warm winters, it can successfully overwinter.
Pink-spotted hawkmoth Agrius convolvuli
Distribution. A Paleotropical species, widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, from where it regularly migrates north, in warm years penetrating as far as Scandinavia and remote islands of the Atlantic Ocean (Iceland, Orkney or the Faroe Islands). In Ukraine, it is a non-resident species but known in all regions, where it regularly and often occurs during migrations and establishes temporary colonies.
Oleander hawkmoth Daphnis nerii
istribution. A paleotropical species widely distributed in tropical and subtropical Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean east to Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Also colonized the Hawaiian Islands, Saipan, Guam and Chichijima in Japan. Unstable populations in southern Europe are regularly replenished by migratory waves from the southern Mediterranean and Africa. However, in favorable years, it often migrates to Central Europe, occasionally flying as far north as Great Britain and Scandinavia. In Ukraine, it is a non-resident species that occurs sporadically in the Crimea and southern regions during migrations from the south, and extremely rarely further north. Temporary colonies are established only on the Southern coast of Crimea.
Large Elephant hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor
Distribution. A Trans-Eurasian temperate species, widely distributed in the temperate zone of Eurasia, from Western Europe to Japan. Widespread throughout Ukraine.
Small Elephant hawkmoth Deilephila porcellus
Distribution. A Transpalearctic species, distributed from North Africa through the temperate zone of Eurasia to Mongolia, Transbaikalia, Yakutia, China and the Amur region. Widespread throughout Ukraine.
Olive Bee hawkmoth Hemaris croatica
Distribution. A Ponto-Mediterranean species, disjunctively distributed in Southeastern Europe, from Italy, southeastern Austria and the Balkan Peninsula to the Middle and Lower Volga, southern Urals and Western Kazakhstan, in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, Turkey, Lebanon, northern Israel, western Jordan, northern Iraq and Iran. In Ukraine, it is very locally distributed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Broad-bordered Bee hawkmoth Hemaris fuciformis
Distribution. A Transpalearctic species, widely distributed in temperate zone from North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula to the Far East and Sakhalin. In Ukraine – widespread throughout the territory
Narrow-bordered Bee hawkmoth Hemaris tityus
Distribution. A West-Eurasian species, widespread from Western Europe to Western Siberia and northeastern China. It is widely, but very locally distributed in Ukraine.
Silver-striped hawkmoth Hippotion celerio
Distribution. A paleotropical species distributed in the tropical regions of Australia, Asia and Africa, from where it regularly migrates to the southern regions of the Palearctic, forming temporary populations in North Africa and Southern Europe in favorable years. The nearest resident populations are known in the Canary and Azores Islands, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco and in the Middle East. In Ukraine, it is known by the only ancient literary reference from the city of Chernivtsi, where on November 26, 1926, one specimen was collected at light (Alexinschi, 1931; Hormuzaki, 1931).
Spurge hawkmoth Hyles euphorbiae
Distribution. A Western Palearctic species, widely distributed from western Europe to northwestern China and western Mongolia. In Ukraine – widespread throughout the territory
Bedstraw hawkmoth Hyles galii
Distribution. A Holarctic species, widely distributed in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America. In Ukraine – widespread throughout the territory.
Seabuckthorn hawkmoth Hyles hippophaes
Distribution. Widely but disjunctively distributed from northeastern Spain, through southern France, southern Switzerland and northern Italy, the Balkan Peninsula, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, southern Russia, the Aegean islands, Turkey, east to Tajikistan, Afghanistan, eastern Kazakhstan, Baikal, Mongolia and China, and south to northern Pakistan, Kashmir and northwestern India. In Ukraine, it is represented by the eastern subspecies Hyles hippophaes bienerti (Staudinger, 1874), which is currently expanding westwards. However, the individuals from Odesa region are closer to the subspecies bienerti, but do not exactly correspond to it, and may be intermediate forms between it and the nominative subspecies, because it is here that the limit of their distribution passes and their ranges overlap (Khalaim, 2022). The species was first discovered in Ukraine in the middle of the last century, in the Crimea (Державец, 1984). However, soon it quickly spread into the steppe zone, from where it gradually penetrated further north. The distribution of the species is closely related to that of the main host plant – oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia). As of now, the northernmost records of the species in Ukraine are known from the Chernihiv region. Still absent in the western region and Polissia.
Striped hawkmoth Hyles livornica
Distribution. A paleotropical species widely distributed in Africa and the subtropical zone of the Palearctic region, from the western Mediterranean to southern India, China, and Japan; regularly migrates north to Central and Northern Europe. In Ukraine, it is a non-resident species, but a regular migrant. During migrations, it occurs more or less regularly and often in the south, sporadically and occasionally in other regions. In warm years, it establishes temporary colonies even on subalpine meadows in the highlands of the Ukrainian Carpathians.
Greater Spurge hawkmoth Hyles nicaea
Distribution. The range of the species extends from the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, southern Portugal, and Spain through southern Europe, Turkey, Lebanon, and northern Israel, to eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northwestern India, western Mongolia, and western China. In Ukraine, it is represented by the subspecies Hyles nicaea orientalis (Austaut, 1905). Resident in Crimea, in particular in Tarkhankut, where there is a stable and fairly large population. In addition, there is one unverified and rather dubious literary reference from Kuchurgany village of the Rozdilna district of the Odesa region, where one specimen was hatched from a pupa on April 4, 1992 (Тищенков, 2010).
Aspen hawkmoth Laothoe amurensis
Distribution. A Eurasiatic boreal species, widespread from the Baltic States and Southern Finland to the Far East, the Kuril Islands and Japan. In Ukraine, it is very locally distributed in Polissia, where it is located on the southern border of its range.
Popular hawkmoth Laothoe populi
Distribution. A West-Eurasian species, widespread from Western Europe to Siberia and Central Asia. Widespread throughout Ukraine
Hummingbird hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum
Distribution. The range of the species extends from North Africa and Southern Europe eastward to the Far East of Russia and Japan. In winter it migrates as far as South India and West Africa. A few specimens have been registered in North America. It is a well-known migrant, that flies far to the north in summer, and to the south in winter. In particular, moths were registered in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia and the south of Yakutia, as well as in the Gambia and southern India. In Ukraine, it is common throughout the territory, but populations are not stable and constantly fluctuate depending on migration waves from the south
Oak hawkmoth Marumba quercus
Distribution. A Mediterranean species, widespread in Morocco, in the south of Central, in Southern and South-Eastern Europe, in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Turkey, countries of the Levant, Northern Iraq, Northern and South-Western Iran, Lower Volga, Western Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. In Ukraine, it is widely, but locally distributed almost throughout the territory, except for Polissia and the mountainous regions of the Carpathians. It most often occurs in floodplain oak forests, as well as artificial oak plantations of the steppe and the southern part of the forest-steppe zone. In the rest of the territory, the species is rarely observed.
Lime hawkmoth Mimas tiliae
Distribution. West-Eurasian species, widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula to Western Siberia. Widespread throughout Ukraine.
Willowherb hawkmoth Proserpinus proserpina
Distribution. Western Palearctic species, widespread from North Africa, through almost all of Europe, except for the north, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Turkey, Lebanon, northwestern Jordan, northern Israel, northern Iran, Central Asia, southern and eastern Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, to western China and western Siberia. It is widely, but locally distributed in Ukraine.
Eyed hawkmoth Smerinthus ocellatus
Distribution. A Western Palearctic species, widely distributed from North Africa and Western Europe to Western Siberia and Central Asia. Widespread throughout Ukraine.
Gorgon hawkmoth Sphingonaepiopsis gorgoniades
Distribution. Ponto-Mediterranean species, disjunctively distributed in South-Eastern Europe from the Balkan Peninsula to the Lower Volga and South Urals, in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, western Jordan, northern Iraq, northern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. In Ukraine, it is very locally distributed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, mostly within the Donetsk ridge, as well as in the Crimea – on the Kerch Peninsula, in the foothills, and on the southern coast.
Privet hawkmoth Sphinx ligustri
Distribution. A Transpalearctic species, widely distributed from North Africa and Western Europe to the Kuril Islands and Northern Japan. In Ukraine, it is widespread throughout the territory
Pine hawkmoth Hyloicus pinastri
Distribution. A Holarctic species, widely distributed in the temperate latitudes of Eurasia and North America. In Ukraine – widespread throughout the territory.