Information about Hemaris Diffinis

Snowberry Clearwing
Hemaris diffinis Augusta, Michigan Hemaris diffinis Augusta, Michigan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Superfamily: Bombycoidea Family: Sphingidae Genus: Hemaris Species: H. diffinis
Binomial name
Hemaris diffinis

The Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) is a moth of the order Lepidoptera and family Sphingidae. It is about 1.25”- 2”. It does not closely resemble a humming bird as the name suggests, it actually looks more like a large bumblebee. The name probably comes from the buzzing sound it makes that imitate a humming bird. Their abdomens have yellow and black segments much like a bumblebee. Its wings are clear without scales. It loses the scales on its wings early after pupa stage by flying around. It flies during the daylight much like the other hummingbird moths. Its mouthparts are a proboscis which is a siphoning mouthpart similar to a straw. It eats plants such as honeysuckle, viburnum, hawthorn, snowberry, cherry, and plum. The moth’s migration in Canada is different than in the U.S. In Canada, it flies from the Northwest Territories, south to British Columbia, and then east to Nova Scotia. In the U.S., it flies from Maine to Florida, westward to southern California and Baja California and then into Mexico. It has a complete metamorphosis, having a larvae, pupa, and adult stage.

Hemaris diffinis	Hemaris diffinis variation	A snowberry moth in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.	A snowberry clearwing.