Sphinx maurorum
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Sphinx maurorum, the southern pine hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Karl Jordan in 1931. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in southern and central France as far north as Corrèze and as far south as the Atlas and Rif mountains of North Africa. There are also records from Corsica.
The wingspan is 70–80 mm. There are one to two generations per year. Mostly, there is one generation with adults on wing from mid-July to early August. In some years, adults are on wing from May to June and again in August.
The larvae feed on Pinus (especially Pinus halepensis and Pinus pinaster) and Cedrus species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Pine Hawkmoth sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 240th most-seen of the 479 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Pine Hawkmoth in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Pine Hawkmoth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Pine Hawkmoth sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Pine Hawkmoth that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth (about 30%), Poplar Hawkmoth (about 10%) and Striped Hawkmoth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Pine Hawkmoth is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
