(Sphingidae) This family includes about 1,450 species spread all over the world. Butterflies are medium to big in size (25 - 125 mm), and their body is big and fusiform. Their forewings are long and narrow and antennae are usually filiform but thick at the top. Butterflies can fly fast. While some species fly during the day, most of them are active at sunset or dusk. The fully grown insects feed on flower nectar. Larvae of most species have a clear horn or an appendage like a thorn on the upper surface of their eighth abdominal segment. Larvae attack crops and trees. Most species of this family are not important economically.
