Morgans Sphinx
FamilySphingidae
Scientific NameXanthopan praedicta
RangeMadagascar
HabitatTropical forest
About the Morgans Sphinx
A hawk-moth famous for confirming a prediction by Charles Darwin. In 1862 Darwin examined an orchid from Madagascar with an extremely long nectar spur and predicted a moth with a tongue long enough to reach the nectar. This moth, with an exceptionally long proboscis, was described in 1903 and later named praedicta, meaning predicted. It was raised to full species status in 2021.
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