Sphingidae

Hawkmoths comprise about 1500 species. The adults are agile and some can pollinate flowers. They are excellent flyers and some can hover or even fly backwards. Some have extremely long probosci and can feed whilst hovering -hence often mistaken for humming birds .

The caterpillars often have anal horns (hooks over the prolegs) . They feed on toxic plants like Oleander ,but often chemically alter the toxins to create new noxious chemicals for protection. Some can also store partially digested toxic food in a crop , which they spit at the predator

Some species can fly quickly and for long distances. Agrius convovuli can fly at 50 km/hr

Certain plant species have evolved to be dependant on Sphingidae for pollination