#2680 · 🦋 butterflies & moths
Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Wolfsmelkpijlstaart ·Hyles euphorbiae
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Luca Boscain · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © bugger44 · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © christine123 · CC BY 4.0
- 4. © Logan Crees · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Kristi DuBois · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. © Paolo Mazzei · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Hyles euphorbiae ( spurge hawk-moth ) is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. This hawk moth is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed known as leafy spurge ( Euphorbia esula ), but usually only in conjunction with other agents. The larvae consume the leaves and bracts of the plant.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 73 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 15,988 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Leafy Spurge Hawkmoth
- Nederlands
- Wolfsmelkpijlstaart
- scientific name
- Hyles euphorbiae
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Lepidoptera
- family
- Sphingidae
- sightings in NL
- 73
- sightings in Europe
- 10,863
- sightings worldwide
- 15,988
- GBIF records in NL
- 4,879
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
relatives· Sphingidae
#2413 📷 10Eurasian Hummingbird Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Kolibrievlinder
Macroglossum stellatarum
👀 719 in NL
#2436 📷 10Elephant Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Groot avondrood
Deilephila elpenor
👀 498 in NL
#2477 📷 8Lime Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Lindepijlstaart
Mimas tiliae
👀 306 in NL
#2491 📷 10Poplar Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Populierenpijlstaart
Laothoe populi
👀 269 in NL
#2504 📷 10Privet Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Ligusterpijlstaart
Sphinx ligustri
👀 227 in NL
#2510 📷 10Eyed Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Pauwoogpijlstaart
Smerinthus ocellata
👀 214 in NL
#2537 📷 7Pine Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Dennenpijlstaart
Sphinx pinastri
👀 175 in NL
#2547 📷 8Convolvulus Hawkmoth
🇳🇱 Windepijlstaart
Agrius convolvuli
👀 164 in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 70071, Wikidata Q913451, GBIF 1862719, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.