Manduca franciscae 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 Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

.

The length of the forewings is 42-47 mm for males and about 55 mm for females. It is similar in appearance to several other members of the Manduca

Manduca

Manduca is a moth genus of the Sphingidae family. The Carolina Sphinx is often used in biological research....

genus, but whiter than any other species in the genus with the exception of Manduca sexta leucoptera. The forewing underside is light brown, shading to white, the hindwing upperside is brown and the hindwing underside is white, except for the light brown antemedian and submarginal bands. Females are darker and more contrastingly patterned than males.