Hyles sammuti is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

Sphingidae

Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...

 family. Kitching & Cadiou (2000) treat it as a valid species, while Pittaway treat it as a subspecies of Hyles tithymali

Hyles tithymali

Hyles tithymali is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in North Africa, the Canary Islands, Madeira, some islands in the Mediterranean Sea and in the mountains in Jemen.The length of the forewings is 45-85 mm.The larvae feed on Euphorbia....

, seeing the larvae are very similar to Hyles tithymali mauretanica. Based on studies of the Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...

, Hyles sammuti probably hybridises with Hyles euphorbiae

Hyles euphorbiae

The Spurge Hawk-moth is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. This hawk moth is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed known as leafy spurge , but usually only in conjunction with other agents...

. It is known from Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

, but there are closely related populations found on Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 and southern Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, which might prove to be the same species.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 63-75 mm. There are multiple generations per year with adults on wing from February to October.

The larvae feed on Euphorbia spinosa, Euphorbia pinea and Euphorbia dendroides

Euphorbia dendroides

Euphorbia dendroides, also known as Tree Spurge, is a small tree of the Euphorbiaceae family that grows in semi-arid and mediterranean climates....

. The species overwinters as a pupa.