Hyles siehei 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. It is known from southern and eastern Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

, northern Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

, northern Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 and northern Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. Then probably south along the Zagros Mountains of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 to the Kerman Province. It is also known from lowland southern Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...

, from the shores of the Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...

 across to the Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 border, southern Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....

 and northern Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...

.

The wingspan is 65-70 mm for ssp. siehei and 55-65 mm for ssp. svetlana.
Adults of ssp. siehei are on wing from late May to June in one generation. Adults of ssp. svetlana are on wing from late April to late May (with a peak in mid May), also in one generation.

The larvae of ssp. siehei mainly feed on the seed- and flower-heads of Eremurus

Eremurus

Eremurus is a genus of 35-40 deciduous perennial flowers, also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles. The inflorescence looks similar to a long spike or a bottlebrush. It consists of many flowers in copper, bright yellow, snow white, pastel pink, orange or any combination of those colors....

species, such as Eremurus himalaicus, Eremurus olgae, Eremurus robustus

Eremurus robustus

Eremurus robustus is a plant native to the Tien Shan and Pamir Mountains in central Asia that is often used as an ornamental plant. It often goes by the common name Foxtail lily....

, Eremurus krudica and Eremurus stenophyllus, but have also been recorded on the seedheads of Asphodelus

Asphodelus

Asphodelus is a genus of mainly perennial plants native to western, central and southern Europe, but now spread worldwide. Asphodels are popular garden plants, which grow in well-drained soils with abundant natural light...

and Asphodeline

Asphodeline

Asphodeline is a genus of perennial plants in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae. From the Mediterranean, it has fleshy roots and fragrant, starry flowers that are yellow in May to June.It grows up to 4 ft in well-drained soil....

species. Larvae of ssp. svetlana have also been recorded feeding on the flower- and seedheads Eremurus

Eremurus

Eremurus is a genus of 35-40 deciduous perennial flowers, also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles. The inflorescence looks similar to a long spike or a bottlebrush. It consists of many flowers in copper, bright yellow, snow white, pastel pink, orange or any combination of those colors....

species, especially Eremurus sogriganus, Eremurus inderiensis and Eremurus ambigens.

Subspecies

• Hyles siehei siehei (eastern Toros and Bolkar Mountains of southern Turkey, eastern Turkey, Armenia, northern Syria, northern Iraq and northern Iran. Then probably south along the Zagros Mountains of Iran to Kerman Province)
• Hyles siehei svetlana Shovkoon, 2010 (lowland southern Kazakhstan, from the shores of the Caspian Sea across to the Chinese border, southern Uzbekistan and northern Turkmenistan)