Bug FAQMournful Sphinx
Enyo lugubris · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
The mournful sphinx is a moth in the hawk-moth family (Sphingidae). Its wingspan measures about 5 to 6 cm. It lives from South America through Central America into the southern United States, where adults can be seen year-round in the south and from August to November farther north.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Enyo lugubris, called the mournful sphinx, belongs to the family Sphingidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan is between 50 and 60 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found from Argentina and Paraguay up through Central America to the United States, reaching as far north as South Carolina and Arizona.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars probably feed on vines in the grape family, such as Vitus tiliifolia, Vitis, Cissus and Ampelopsis; in Florida they have been seen on Cissus sicyoides and Ampelopsis arborea.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are active all year in tropical areas, while farther north they fly from August through November.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In the tropics adults are on wing year-round; in more temperate zones they appear from late summer to early winter.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes much of South America, the Caribbean, Central America and the southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 24 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do mournful sphinx caterpillars eat?
They feed on vines in the grape family, including species of Vitus, Vitis, Cissus and Ampelopsis.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult mournful sphinx moths?
In tropical regions they are present all year, while in the United States they are seen from August to November.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sphingidae)
White-lined SphinxHyles lineataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Eurasian Hummingbird HawkmothMacroglossum stellatarum
Snowberry ClearwingHemaris diffinis
Carolina SphinxManduca sextaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Hummingbird ClearwingHemaris thysbeDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elephant HawkmothDeilephila elpenorSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enyo_lugubris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.