Rusty Patched Bumble Bee vs Achemon Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Achemon Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Bombus affinis Eumorpha achemon
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Apidae Sphingidae
Size 13-20 mm 85-100 mm
Habitat Underground Orchards
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Upper Midwest and northeastern United States, now extremely restricted North America
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

A once-common bumble bee named for the rust-colored patch on the second abdominal segment of workers. It was the first bumble bee in the continental United States listed as endangered.

💡

Did You Know?

Its range has shrunk by nearly 87 percent since the 1990s, making it one of the rarest bees in North America.

Achemon Sphinx Moth

A robust hawk moth with pink and tan-brown forewings and bright pink hindwings. It is closely related to the Pandorus sphinx and shares similar grape-feeding larvae.

💡

Did You Know?

The Achemon sphinx caterpillar changes dramatically in color from green to salmon-pink as it prepares to pupate.