sphinx moth
noun
Note: The larvae of the hawk or sphinx moth often assume a defensive position in which the front end is raised in a manner suggestive of the Egyptian sphinx.
Examples of sphinx moth in a Sentence
Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2023
Under attack, the Nessus sphinx moth caterpillar emits a sort of crackling buzz from its mouth.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2018
Conservation photographer Mac Stone used a camera trap to capture the first-ever photo of a giant sphinx moth visiting a ghost orchid.
—Steven Bedard, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2019
The huge sphinx moth and their large caterpillars are out and about.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2022
For example, the aforementioned and dreaded tomato hornworm metamorphizes into the large sphinx moth, a nighttime pollinator important to pitahaya and other night-blooming plants.
—Linda Jones, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2020
These rare, charming orchids were long thought to be pollinated by a single insect: the giant sphinx moth.
—Douglas Main, National Geographic, 11 July 2019
He was proven right 130 years later, when Morgan’s sphinx moth (Xanthopan morganii) was seen feeding from the orchid with its huge tongue.
—Douglas Main, National Geographic, 11 July 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sphinx moth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Sphinx moth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sphinx%20moth. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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