Manduca blackburni

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Manduca blackburni
Starr 061116-9941 Nicotiana glauca.jpg
Starr 061214-2500 Nicotiana glauca.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Manduca
Species:
M. blackburni
Binomial name
Manduca blackburni
(Butler, 1880) [3]
Synonyms
  • Protoparce blackburniButler, 1880
  • Phlegethontius blackburnii
  • Protoparce quinquemaculatus blackburni

Manduca blackburni, the Hawaiian tomato hornworm, Hawaiian tobacco hornworm or Blackburn's sphinx moth, is a moth in the family Sphingidae.

Contents

Taxonomy

Manduca blackburni is closely related to the tomato hornworm (M. quinquemaculata), which it also physically resembles. The species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880.

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic to Hawaii. Previously known from all of the main islands, this rare moth is now limited to Maui, the Big Island, and Kahoʻolawe. [4] It is found in coastal mesic and dry forests at elevations from sea level to 5,000 ft (1,500 m).

Diet and ecology

Larvae feed on plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, especially native ʻaiea (Nothocestrum spp.), but also non-native tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), tree tobacco (N. glauca), jimson weed (Datura stramonium), and eggplant (Solanum melongena). The adult feeds on nectar from native plants such as koali ʻawa (Ipomoea indica) and maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana). [5]

Conservation

It was listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000, making it the first Hawaiian insect to receive such a status. [2] [6] NatureServe considers the insect to be Critically Imperiled.

Related Research Articles

<i>Nicotiana</i> Genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae

Nicotiana is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs in the family Solanaceae, that is indigenous to the Americas, Australia, Southwestern Africa and the South Pacific. Various Nicotiana species, commonly referred to as tobacco plants, are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. N. tabacum is grown worldwide for the cultivation of tobacco leaves used for manufacturing and producing tobacco products, including cigars, cigarillos, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, and snus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphingidae</span> Family of insects

The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly 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>Solanum carolinense</i> Species of plant

Solanum carolinense, the Carolina horsenettle, is not a true nettle, but a member of the Solanaceae, or nightshade family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to the southeastern United States, though its range has expanded throughout much of temperate North America. The plant is an invasive in parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. The stem and undersides of larger leaf veins are covered with prickles.

<i>Manduca sexta</i> Species of moth

Manduca sexta is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the Americas. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum.

<i>Euproserpinus euterpe</i> Species of moth

Euproserpinus euterpe, the Kern primrose sphinx moth or euterpe sphinx moth is a small day-flying moth in the family Sphingidae. The 0.04-inch (1.0 mm), light green eggs are laid haphazardly on various plants in the vicinity of the evening primrose host plants. Larvae emerge from the eggs about a week after oviposition and begin to feed on the flowers and young leaves of the evening primrose. Larvae hatching from eggs laid on other plants are able to wander significant distances to find the host plant.

<i>Laothoe populi</i> Species of moth

Laothoe populi, the poplar hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East and is one of the most common members of the family in the region. It is distinctive due to its habit of resting with its hindwings held further forward than the forewings.

<i>Manduca quinquemaculata</i> Species of moth

Manduca quinquemaculata, the five-spotted hawkmoth, is a brown and gray hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens; they get their name from a dark projection on their posterior end and their use of tomatoes as host plants. Tomato hornworms are closely related to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta. This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species have similar morphologies and feed on the foliage of various plants from the family Solanaceae, so either species can be found on tobacco or tomato leaves. Because of this, the plant on which the caterpillar is found does not indicate its species.

<i>Solanum nelsonii</i> Species of shrub

Solanum nelsonii, common names pōpolo and Nelson's horsenettle, is a partially woody sprawling shrub-like perennial plant in the family Solanaceae, part of the Solanum or nightshade genus. This poisonous plant is endemic to the Pacific Islands. It grows low in coastal sites in coral rubble to pure sand.

<i>Manduca rustica</i> Species of moth

Manduca rustica, the rustic sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

<i>Manduca</i> Genus of moths

Manduca is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae, the hawkmoths. The genus is used as a model in the biological sciences. The tobacco hornworm and the tomato hornworm in particular have been well studied. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1807.

<i>Manduca albiplaga</i> Species of moth

Manduca albiplaga, the white-plaqued sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1856.

<i>Manduca occulta</i> Species of moth

Manduca occulta, the occult sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

<i>Lintneria eremitus</i> Species of moth

Lintneria eremitus, the hermit sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is found in the temperate areas of the eastern United States, north into southern Canada over the Great Plains. It prefers gardens and yards, but is common wherever the nectar and larval host plants are found. This moth is easily confused with the Canadian sphinx but these two moths do not typically co-occur.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paonias excaecatus</span> Species of moth

Paonias excaecata, the blinded sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797.

<i>Sphinx ligustri</i> Species of moth

Sphinx ligustri, the privet hawk moth, is a moth found in most of the Palearctic realm. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Amaranthus brownii</i> Extinct species of flowering plant

Amaranthus brownii was an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae. The plant was found only on the small island of Nihoa in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, growing on rocky outcrops at altitudes of 120–215 m (394–705 ft). It was one of nine species of Amaranthus in the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the only endemic Hawaiian species of the genus. It is now considered extinct.

<i>Nicotiana attenuata</i> Species of flowering plant

Nicotiana attenuata is a species of wild tobacco known by the common name coyote tobacco. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Texas and northern Mexico, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a glandular and sparsely hairy annual herb exceeding a meter in maximum height. The leaf blades may be 10 centimetres (4 in) long, the lower ones oval and the upper narrower in shape, and are borne on petioles. The inflorescence bears several flowers with pinkish or greenish white tubular throats 2 to 3 centimetres long, their bases enclosed in pointed sepals. The flower face has five mostly white lobes. The fruit is a capsule about 1 centimetre long.

<i>Udara blackburni</i> Species of butterfly

Udara blackburni, the Koa butterfly, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. It is also known as Blackburn's butterfly, Blackburn's bluet, Hawaiian blue or green Hawaiian blue.

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

Hyles wilsoni, or Wilson's sphinx, is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Walter Rothschild in 1894. It is endemic to the island of Hawaii.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. 1 2 "Blackburn's Sphinx Moth First Hawaiian Insect Added to Endangered Species List" (Press release). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2000-02-01.
  3. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  4. Black, Scott Hoffman. "Moths: Blackburn's sphinx moth (Manduca blackburni)". The Xerces Society. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  5. "Blackburn's Sphinx Moth" (PDF). Terrestrial Insects. State of Hawaiʻi. 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  6. Draft Recovery Plan for the Blackburn's Sphinx Moth (PDF) (Report). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2021.