About Xylophanes tersa Linnaeus, 1771
Xylophanes tersa, commonly called the tersa sphinx, is a moth species belonging to the family Sphingidae. Carl Linnaeus first formally described this species in 1771. Its range extends from the United States – where it occurs from Massachusetts southward to southern Florida, and westward to Nebraska, New Mexico, and southern Arizona – through Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America, into parts of South America including Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. Occasional stray individuals of this species can be found as far north as Canada. The caterpillar larvae of Xylophanes tersa feed on species in the genera Borreria, Catalpa, Manettia, and Pentas, as well as the species Spermacoce glabra, Hamelia patens, Hedyotis nigricans, Heimia salicifolia, Psychotria microdon, Psychotria nervosa, and Inga vera.
