Bug FAQAsellus Sphinx
Sphinx asellus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
Also called: Asella Sphinx, Asella Sphinx Moth, Asellus Sphinx Moth
The adult Asellus Sphinx has a wingspan of roughly 80 to 99 mm. It lives in dry pinyon-juniper woodlands across several western U.S. states, including Colorado, Nevada, Utah, extreme southwestern Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and southwestern Texas. There is a single generation each year, with adults flying from May through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from about 80 mm to 99 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in pinyon-juniper woodland and similar arid areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on manzanita plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
One generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from May to July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the United States, specifically the listed western states.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Nebraska.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Sphingidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx_asellus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.