Hemaris

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Hemaris
Hemaris diffinis.JPG
H. diffinis at Lake Junaluska, U.S.
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Subtribe: Hemarina
Genus: Hemaris
Dalman, 1816
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • AegeR. Felder, 1874
  • ChamaesesiaGrote, 1873
  • CochraniaTutt, 1902
  • EitschbergeraKemal & Koçak, 2005
  • HaemorrhagiaGrote & Robinson, 1865
  • HemariaBillberg, 1820
  • SaundersiaEitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1998
  • MandarinaEitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1998
  • JilingaEitschberger, Danner & Surholt, 1998

Hemaris is a genus of sphinx moths in the subfamily Macroglossinae, which is native to the Holarctic. [1] Their main host plants are herbs and shrubs of the teasel and honeysuckle families. Moths in genus Hemaris are known collectively as clearwing moths or hummingbird moths in the US and Canada and bee hawk-moths in Britain. The related Old World hummingbird hawk-moths, genus Macroglossum , are similar in appearance and habits. Both genera have tails that are provided with an expansile truncated tuft of hairs, [2] but only Hemaris has the disc of the wings transparent, as these scales are dropped soon after eclosion.

Contents

Description

The eggs are small, spherical, and pale glossy green in color. Host plants include shrub and vining honeysuckles and teasels.

The larvae are small, cylindrical, and covered in granules that often have small bristles. Most larvae are green, brown, and gray, but there are many color forms. All have a distinctive pale dorsolateral longitudinal stripe from head to horn.

The pupa is enclosed in a loosely spun cocoon, and is glossy in most species. There is a prominent tubercle or hook alongside each eye. The cremaster of the chrysalis is large and flattened.

The imagoes, or adults, are small, diurnal moths that resemble bumblebees in shape. They are often mistaken for hummingbirds. The forewings are fully scaled, but in some species patches of scales are lost during the first flight, leaving a glassy hyaline area on each wing. The antennae are strongly clubbed in both sexes and each has a small, recurved hook at the end. The abdomen ends in a large fan of setae.

The genitalia of the male are asymmetrical; the uncus is divided into two subequal lobes and is sclerotized. The ostium bursae, or genital opening, of the female is angled to the left.

A Hemaris feeding on flowers in Minnesota.

Species

There are 23 accepted species. Four species are native to North and South America, and three to Europe. [3]

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<i>Hemaris diffinis</i> Species of moth

Hemaris diffinis, the snowberry clearwing, is a moth of the order Lepidoptera, family Sphingidae. This moth is sometimes called "hummingbird moth" or "flying lobster". This moth should not be confused with the hummingbird hawk-moth of Europe.

<i>Hemaris thysbe</i> Species of moth

Hemaris thysbe, the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae (hawkmoths). Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.

<i>Hemaris tityus</i> Species of moth

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<i>Knautia arvensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae

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<i>Hemaris thetis</i> Species of moth

Hemaris thetis, the Rocky Mountain clearwing or California clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1855. It is found from Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah west to California and north to British Columbia. The habitat consists of streamsides and meadows in mountainous areas.

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References

  1. ↑ Kitching, I. J. and J. Cadiou (2000). Hawkmoths of the World. An Annotated and Illustrated Revisionary Checklist (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Cornell University Press, New York. ISBN   0-8014-3734-2
  2. ↑ Imms, A. D.; Davies, O. W.; Richards, R. G. (1977). Imms' General Textbook of Entomology Volume 2: Classification and Biology (10th ed.). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. p. 1139. ISBN   9789401165167.
  3. ↑ Fauna Europaea Hemaris Dalman 1816
  4. ↑ 7855.2 – Hemaris aethra – (Strecker, 1875), North America, Moth Photographers Group
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