Hemaris thysbe

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Hummingbird clearwing
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth - Hemaris thysbe, Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, Aden, Virginia.jpg
Feeding adult
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Hemaris
Species:
H. thysbe
Binomial name
Hemaris thysbe
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Sesia thysbeFabricius, 1775
  • Haemorrhagia buffaloensisGrote & Robinson, 1867
  • Haemorrhagia floridensisGrote & Robinson, 1867
  • Macroglossa etolusBoisduval, 1875
  • Macroglossa pyramusBoisduval, 1875
  • Sesia cimbiciformisStephens, 1828
  • Sesia fuscicaudisWalker, 1856
  • Sesia ruficaudisKirby, 1837
  • Sesia uniformisGrote, 1868
  • Sphinx pelasgusCramer, 1779

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.

Contents

Hemaris thysbe is found in a large portion of North America, with a range extending from Alaska to Oregon in the west and from Newfoundland to Florida in the east. It is a migratory species and is most common in southern Ontario and the eastern United States. H. thysbe has two broods a year in the southern portion of its range, but only one in the north. As a caterpillar, it feeds on honeysuckle, dogbane, [1] and several types of fruit trees.

Due to the variable appearance of H. thysbe, it has often been mistakenly described as multiple distinct species. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. The moth is a flower pollinator.

Description

The body of an adult Hemaris thysbe moth is spindle shaped, and is largely covered by a thick coat of fur. [2] [3] There is significant variation in coloration between individuals. Typically, the back side of the moth is olive to golden-olive on the thorax and burgundy to black with light olive to dark golden patches on the abdomen. The underside of the moth is white to yellow on the thorax and burgundy to black on the abdomen. [4] When it first hatches, the wings of H. thysbe are dark red to black. As it begins to fly, scales fall off leaving a mostly clear wing with reddish-brown borders and veins. [2] The width and shape of the border as well as the patterning of the veins vary between individuals. [5] The moth beats its wings quite rapidly and has a wingspan of 4 to 5.5 centimetres (1.6 to 2.2 in). [2] [3] H. thysbe has light-colored, often yellow legs. [4] In general, southern broods and individuals hatched later in the season are darker in color. Southern and eastern populations generally exhibit jagged wing borders, while northern and western ones are usually smooth. [5]

Hemaris thysbe extends its long proboscis to feed from a flower Hemaris thysbe1.jpg
Hemaris thysbe extends its long proboscis to feed from a flower

The antennae of H. thysbe are thicker at their base and are curved at the ends. Unlike most moths, the species lacks hearing organs. [2] It has compound eyes and well-developed reproductive organs. [5] [6] Hemaris thysbe can be distinguished from Hemaris gracilis and Hemaris diffinis by the lack of stripes on the underside of its thorax and by its pale legs. [4] (Legs are reddish in H. gracilis and black in H. diffinis.) [7] The H. thysbe caterpillar is yellowish green with bands of dark green and reddish brown to dark brown. [2] It has a granulose body with small, white spots and a white horn projecting from its posterior. [5]

As a caterpillar, H. thysbe feeds on cherry trees, European cranberry bush, hawthorns, dogbane, honeysuckle, and snowberry. [4] It burrows into the soil to overwinter as a brown, hard-shelled pupa. In the late spring, it emerges as an adult moth. H. thysbe lays green eggs on the underside of plant leaves, which hatch in about a week. [2] Development takes four weeks, after which the caterpillar spins a cocoon at ground level. [2] [4] Two to four weeks later a moth emerges for a second breeding cycle before summer's end in southern climates. [2] [7] In northern climates, H. thysbe has a single mating cycle per year. [7]

The mating and other behavioral habits of H. thysbe have not been well studied. [2] Adults are most active during the hottest parts of the day, but remain active until sunset. [8] H. thysbe collects nectar from a wide variety of flowers using a long (19–21 millimetres [0.75–0.83 in]) proboscis while hovering above the bloom. [6] [8] It shows a preference for pink and purple flowers, moving rapidly from one flower to the next. [6] The moth is considered to be a hummingbird mimic and is frequently mistaken for the bird or for a bumblebee. [4] [1]

Habitat and range

Hemaris thysbe lives in second-growth forest, in meadows, and is commonly found in cultivated gardens of suburbia. [2] [4] H. thysbe is a migratory species, capable of traveling long distances. [2] In single brood regions, adults are found throughout the summer. In the south, adults are present from March to June and from August to October. [5]

H. thysbe is most abundant in the eastern United States and southern Ontario. [2] Its range extends eastward to Newfoundland and westward to Texas, the Great Plains, and into Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. [4] On the west coast of North America, its range extends from Oregon, up to the Yukon Territory and Alaska. [4] It has minimal economic impact to humans, acting neither as a crop pollinator nor as a pest. [2] The moth does, however, pollinate several cultivated flowers, and is the primary pollinator for some species of orchid. [6] H. thysbe is not endangered or threatened. [2]

Taxonomic history

Hemaris thysbe hovers over a flower while feeding Hemaris thysbe.jpg
Hemaris thysbe hovers over a flower while feeding

Hemaris thysbe was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775 as Sesia thysbe in his Systema Entomologiae. [5] The specific name is likely a reference to Thisbe, half of a pair of ill-fated lovers in Ovid's Metamorphoses . The name thus associates the blood-stained scarf of Thisbe to the reddish-brown coloration of the moth. [7]

Due to the variable coloration and wing patterning of H. thysbe, it, along with other members of Hermaris, were described as many different species during the 1800s. In 1971, entomologist Ronald Hodges examined the various forms in detail. He dissected a number of specimens representing the range of H. thysbe's coloration and geographic scope and found no differences in their reproductive organs. He thus concluded that the many variations represent a single species. Species collapsed into H. thysbe include: [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Hummingbird hawk-moth Species of moth

The hummingbird hawk-moth is a species of hawk moth found across temperate regions of Eurasia. The species is named for its similarity to hummingbirds, as they feed on the nectar of tube-shaped flowers using their long proboscis while hovering in the air; this resemblance is an example of convergent evolution.

Sphingidae Family of insects

The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them. Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.

<i>Apocynum cannabinum</i> Species of plant

Apocynum cannabinum is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows throughout much of North America—in the southern half of Canada and throughout the United States. It is a poisonous plant: Apocynum means "poisonous to dogs". All parts of the plant are poisonous and can cause cardiac arrest if ingested. However, some Lepidoptera feed on this plant, such as two hummingbird moths. The specific epithet cannabinum and the common names hemp dogbane and Indian hemp refer to its similarity to Cannabis as a fiber plant, rather than as a source of a psychoactive drug.

<i>Agrius cingulata</i> Species of moth

Agrius cingulata, the pink-spotted hawkmoth or sweetpotato hornworm, is a moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

<i>Hemaris</i> Genus of moths

Hemaris is a genus of sphinx moths in the subfamily Macroglossinae, which is native to the Holarctic. 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, but only Hemaris has the disc of the wings transparent, as these scales are dropped soon after eclosion.

<i>Daphnis nerii</i> Species of moth

Daphnis nerii, the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Theretra oldenlandiae</i> Species of moth

Theretra oldenlandiae, the impatiens hawkmoth, taro hornworm or white-banded hunter hawkmoth, is a member of the family Sphingidae.

<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>Eumorpha achemon</i> Species of moth

Eumorpha achemon, the Achemon sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.

<i>Hyles lineata</i> Species of moth

Hyles lineata, also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their bird-like size and flight patterns.

<i>Eupanacra mydon</i> Species of moth

Eupanacra mydon, the common rippled hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

<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.

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

Hemaris gracilis, the slender clearwing or graceful clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote and Coleman Townsend Robinson in 1865. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia to central Florida along the East Coast and west through New England to Michigan to Saskatchewan. The species is listed as threatened in Connecticut.

<i>Macroglossum belis</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum belis, the common hummingbird hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is known from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Thailand, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia (Java).

<i>Macroglossum divergens</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum divergens, the broad-bordered hummingbird hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875. It is found from north-eastern Sikkim, India across southern China to Cheju Island, southern Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines and then south through Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to New Guinea and neighbouring islands. It may be in Sri Lanka.

<i>Macroglossum insipida</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum insipida, the hermit hummingbird hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1875.

<i>Macroglossum milvus</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum milvus is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Réunion and Mauritius.

<i>Macroglossum trochilus</i> Species of moth

Macroglossum trochilus, the African hummingbird hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is very common in most habitats throughout southern and eastern Africa and in the Comoro Islands.

<i>Hayesiana triopus</i> Species of moth

Hayesiana triopus, the nonsuch hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Nepal, north-eastern India, southern China and Thailand.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris spp.)" . Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Katie Drury. "Hemaris thysbe". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Robinson, E.; Anweiler, G. G. "Species Details: Hemaris thysbe". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe (Fabricius, 1775)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hodges, Ronald W. (1971). The Moths of America, North of Mexico, Including Greenland. London: E.W. Classey Limited and R.B.D. Publications Inc. pp. 114–117.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Charles L. Argue (2011). The Pollination Biology of North American Orchids: Volume 1. Springer. ISBN   978-1461405924.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Species Hemaris thysbe - Hummingbird Clearwing - Hodges". BugGuide. July 26, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  8. 1 2 RC Fleming (1970). "Food plants of some adult sphinx moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)". Michigan Entomologist. 3: 17–23.
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