Bug FAQSmall Elephant Hawkmoth
Deilephila porcellus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae
Also called: Small Elephant Hawk-Moth
The small elephant hawkmoth has a wingspan of about 45 to 51 mm and shows ochre-brown forewings with pinkish edges and a broad irregular pink band, while its hindwings are blackish near the body, pink on the outer edge and olive-tinged in between. It lives in coastal Europe, heathlands and meadow edges where Galium grows, and also in arid montane forests or scrub in central Iran and Central Asia. Adults fly from May to July depending on location, and the caterpillars feed on Galium and Epilobium.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are ochreous with a faint olive tint, edged and blotched pink on the front margin, and have a broad irregular pink band along the outer edge. Hindwings are blackish along the upper margin, pink on the outer margin, and ochreous with an olive tint in between.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 45 to 51 mm (about 1.8 to 2.0 inches).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in European coastal areas, heaths and meadow edges where Galium grows. Also occurs in open, arid montane forest or scrub in central Iran and Central Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on plants of the Galium and Epilobium genera.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to July, varying with location.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period is May through July, depending on where they live.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes Europe, North Africa and West Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is often mistaken for the larger elephant hawk moth, Deilephila elpenor. The small elephant hawkmoth is the smaller species and can be separated by its overall size and the pinkish coloration patterns on its wings.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell the small elephant hawkmoth apart from the elephant hawk moth?
The small species is noticeably smaller (45 to 51 mm wingspan) and has pinkish edging and a broad irregular pink band on the forewings, while the larger elephant hawk moth lacks these exact patterns.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult small elephant hawkmoths active?
Adults fly from May to July, with the exact timing depending on the local climate.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sphingidae)
White-lined SphinxHyles lineataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Eurasian Hummingbird HawkmothMacroglossum stellatarum
Snowberry ClearwingHemaris diffinis
Carolina SphinxManduca sextaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Hummingbird ClearwingHemaris thysbeDamages trees, gardens or crops
Elephant HawkmothDeilephila elpenorSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deilephila_porcellus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.