GENERAL FAMILY DESCRIPTION
The Sphingidae ('Hawk Moths' or 'Sphinx Moths') are a family of about 1,000 species worldwide, reaching their greatest development in the New World tropics. They are mostly large to very large moths with characteristic 'bullet-shaped' bodies and long, thin wings which cannot easily be mistaken for anything else. The often brightly-coloured larvae of Sphingidae possess a characteristic 'sphingid horn' at one end, which gives the family its name. Due to their powerful flight, Hawk Moths disperse well and tend to have very wide ranges.

This family is a very popular one with collectors and is well documented. The world's Sphingidae are catalogued and illustrated in colour by d'Abrera (1986). Of these I catalogue 45 species from Jamaica here (10 Sphinginae and 35 Macroglossinae).

SUBFAMILIES present in Jamaica: (click on link to go to species list for that subfamily)