Xylophanes norfolki 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 the Galapagos Islands

Galápagos Islands

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...

.

It is similar to Xylophanes tersa

Xylophanes tersa

The Tersa Sphinx is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from the United States , through Mexico, the West Indies and Central America and into parts of South America...

and related species, but the pattern and form of the forewing upperside is different. The underside of the abdomen is purplish-brown, while the forewing upperside has a dark brown ground colour and the forewing and hindwing underside ground colour is dark orange. There are pale yellow spots on the hindwing upperside, while the ground colour dark orange.

Adults are on wing in February and June and possibly again from September to October.

The larvae feed on Psychotria rufipes.