About Hemaris tityus Linnaeus, 1758
For identification, Hemaris tityus can be told apart from the related species Hemaris fuciformis by two key features: a narrow band of scales along the outer margin of the wings, and an undivided discal cell on the forewing. This moth has a wingspan that ranges from 40 to 50 millimetres, which equals 1.6 to 2.0 inches. It is one of two similar sphingid moth species found in Britain, both of which closely mimic bumblebees. Hemaris tityus has a broad geographic range. It extends from Ireland across temperate Europe, reaching the Ural Mountains, western Siberia, Novosibirsk, and the Altai. It is also present from the Tian Shan eastward across Mongolia to northeastern China, and southward to Tibet. A separate isolated population of the species occurs from Turkey to northern Iran.
