Tantalus Sphinx

Erika wrote the following account of The Great Bee Hummingbird Chase during our visit to Key West: We visited the Zachary Taylor Fort in Key West looking for birds (historical education was incidental). On their information board, they listed a Bee Hummingbird, the smallest hummer in the world and a native of Cuba—one that Dan has never seen. Needless to say he was now on a mission. We paid the admission fee ($5 per person) each day for four days in a row and endlessly wandered the park with no luck. He found the ranger who saw the bird and she told us where the best places to hunt would be.

On the fourth day (30 January 2018) we saw it! It was all dark, just over an inch long and had a white band on its rump—just like the picture in the bird book that the ranger showed us. It zipped among flowers while Dan tried to get a photo. Several folks stopped to asked what we were doing and we excitedly told them it was the smallest hummingbird in the world!

Then, it landed on the curb. Much to our chagrin it had 6 legs! The damn thing was a moth. Dan took lots of pictures, which he shared with a disappointed ranger. According to reference books it is a Tantalus Sphinx Moth. As a friend said, an embarrassing, frustrating and educational experience all rolled into one!

The Tantalus Sphinx is a day-flying moth found in many parts of Latin America. The moth is also known from south Florida and strays have been recorded in Michigan and New York. The etymology is obscure. Tantalus was a mythological Greek condemned in Hades to remain chin-deep in water and eternally tantalized by fruit in trees.