Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Host plants:
The caterpillars live on Euphorbia cyparissias and other Euphorbia spp.

Habitat:
Hyles euphorbiae most often lives in open landscapes such as sand grasslands, flood embankments, slopes on limestone, juniper heathland or vineyards (the latter at least in the past). In the Central and Southern Alps I observed caterpillars up to 2300m above sea level as on the Swiss Täschalpe (Valais) in August 2004.

On the eastern Swabian Alb near Heidenheim (Germany) Hyles euphorbiae is quite common on nutrient-poor sheep pastures (calcareous Juniper heathland) in some years. Eggs are preferably laid at microclimatically particularly favored locations on rocky ground. In late June 2011, I observed numerous eggs on a plane heath on the eastern Swabian Jura. Most eggs were observed at places where a few years earlier junipers had been cut in the course of heath maintenance. The single cypress spurge plants on the still partially bare ground were occupied significantly more likely than those in more closed heath areas.

Life cycle:
Hyles euphorbiae flies in one or two generations. In the Swabian Alb, it is usually only one with moths between late May and early July and caterpillars between late June and August. The pupa overwinters.
In contrast to other European sphingids, Hyles euphorbiae of the Hyles euphorbiae-group (e.g. also Hyles tithymali) oviposit not only single eggs but also occasionally to regularly several eggs near together. With Hyles euphorbiae, normally not more than 5 eggs are deposited together. With Hyles tithymali, this can go up to 20 eggs (observed in La Gomera, Canaries).

Endangerment: endangered

Endangerment factors:
Due to the loss of sunny, nutrient-poor and grazed grasslands, sandy areas and frequent mowing of embankments the spurge hawkmoth is threatened at least north of the Alps.

Remarks:
The distribution ranges from the North African coast across Europe to Western China, with numerous subspecies have been described. Some of these subspecies are nowadays regarded as distinct species.
In Europe, Hyles euphorbiae is native about to the central German uplands, further north, however, only as a rare migrant.