Appearance
The length of the forewings is 45–85 mm. The larvae feed on ''Euphorbia''.
Naming
The following subspecies are recognised:⤷ ''H. t. tithymali''
⤷ ''H. t. mauretanica''
⤷ ''H. t. deserticola''
⤷ ''H. t. gecki''
⤷ ''H. t. phaelipae'' Gil-T. & Gil-Uceda, 2007
⤷ ''H. t. himyarensis'' Meerman, 1988
⤷ ''H. t. cretica''
⤷ ''H. t. gallaeci'' Gil-T., Requejo & Estévez, 2011
- The taxon ''sammuti'' [=''H. t. sammuti'' ] according to molecular studies is a hybrid from ''H. euphorbiae'' × ''H. tithymali''.
- ''Hyles tithymali cretica'' is regarded, according to authors, as a full species or as a hybrid from ''H. euphorbiae'' × ''H. tithymali''.
- The taxonomic final status of the taxon ''gallaeci'' Gil-T., Requejo & Estévez, 2011 is awaiting a study molecular .
Distribution
It is thought that ''Hyles tithymali'' had a much larger range in Europe, but has been pushed further south after the cooling c. 3600 years ago. Its place has been taken over by ''Hyles euphorbiae'', which is more resistant to the cold. Because of this, many isolated populations exist today, many of which have developed into distinct subspecies.References:
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