Poplar hawkmoth: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the poplar hawkmoth lives – recorded in 18 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Laothoe populi
Group	Butterflies & moths
Found in	18 countries
Continents	Europe
Class	Insect
Order	Lepidoptera
Family	Sphingidae

Where does the poplar hawkmoth live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the poplar hawkmoth in 18 countries and territories across Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the poplar hawkmoth?

The poplar hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Sphingidae, genus Laothoe. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the poplar hawkmoth

The poplar hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and is one of the most common members of the family in the region. It is distinctive due to its habit of resting with its hindwings held further forward than (but still half hidden by) the forewings.

Adults may be seen from May to September, and do not feed, not having a functional proboscis, and can vary in colour from grey to yellow. The larva is green, feeds on poplar and some other tree species, and pupates below ground.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Poplar hawkmoth (revision 1356933104), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q782434 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).