Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

11 September 2003   6:31PM EST  (top)
11 September 2003   6:27PM EST  (center left)
11 September 2003   6:30PM EST  (center right)
16 June 2003   (date of moth capture)  (bottom)
The first three photos are all of the same specimen.

Hyles gallii, also known as the Bedstraw Hawk Moth, is one of two species of Hyles recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001).  The other species, Hyles lineata, is apparently a migrator and probably not resident in the area (Handfield, 1999).

Hyles gallii has a very sleek appearance, in common with several other members of this tribe.  It has a dark olive-brown to brown forewing, with a pinkish to yellowish band extending diagonally from the lower base nearly to the apex.  There is whitish shading along the upper edge of this band, and two upward- and inward-pointing extensions.  The nearly straight outer margin is bordered with dark gray.  The inner margin of the forewing is very finely edged in white.  The median area of the hindwing is deep pink to red. preceded by black at the base, and followed by bands of black and tan (sometimes pinkish tan) along the outer margin.  At the inner margin of the hindwing there is a patch of white, and the fringe of the hindwing is also white.  The thorax and abdomen are olive-brown, with white along the sides of the dorsal thorax, and bands of black and white along the sides of the abdomen.  I estimate the wingspan of the specimens I have seen to be in the order of 6 to 7 cm.

According to Handfield (1999), the larva of Hyles gallii feeds on species of epilobium (such as fireweed), bedstraw, woodruff and members of the evening primrose family.  For my general area, he gives an adult flight season from the end of May nearly to mid-August.  Is it possible that my September 2003 observation was an instance of a second generation that year?

My records to date for Hyles gallii (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: