Cocytius antaeus

"Giant sphinx" redirects here. For the statue, see Great Sphinx of Giza.

Cocytius antaeus, the giant sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.

Giant sphinx
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Cocytius
Species:	C. antaeus
Binomial name
Cocytius antaeus (Drury, 1773)[1]
Synonyms
Sphinx antaeus Drury, 1773 Sphinx annonae Shaw, 1802 Sphinx hydaspus Cramer, 1777 Sphinx iatrophae Fabricius, 1775 Sphinx medor Stoll, 1782 Amphonyx tapayusa Moore, 1883 Cocytius henrici Pinchon, 1969

Distribution

It is found from Brazil through Central America and into the southern parts of California,^[2] Texas, and Florida in the United States.

Description

The wingspan is 126–178 mm. Very rare in North America, it was once thought to be the only insect in the continent with a long enough proboscis to pollinate the ghost orchid.

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  Male dorsal
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  Male ventral
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  Female dorsal
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  Female ventral

Biology

The larvae feed on Annona glabra, Annona reticulata, Annona purpurea, Annona holosericea and Rollinia membranacea.^[3]