Species Details

ABH: 69.017

BF: 1992

Family: Sphingidae

Subfamily: Macroglossinae

Taxon: Deilephila porcellus

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Account: Local in calcareous grassland, chalk downland, heathland, sand-dunes, shingle beaches and damp grassland throughout much of England and Wales Elephant Hawk-moth D. porcellus is superficially similar, but larger, with forewing olive-green and pink, not yellow and pink. Larva feeds on Lady's Bedstraw, Hedge Bedstraw, Heath Bedstraw, Marsh Bedstraw, Rosebay Willowherb and Purple Loosestrife, over-wintering as a pupa.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 47 — 56 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 8 May (1998) — 5 Aug (1981)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Epilobium sp. (a willowherb), Galium sp., Lythrum sp.

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 1 — Relatively easily identified 👌

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/deilephila-porcellus/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 441

Individuals: 100

Earliest Year: 1840

Latest Year: 2024

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