Sphecodina abbottii

Last updated

Abbott's sphinx
- 7870 - Sphecodina abbottii - Abbot's Sphinx Moth (16077809110).jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Sphecodina
Species:
S. abbottii
Binomial name
Sphecodina abbottii
(Swainson, 1821) [2]
Synonyms
  • Thyreus abbottiiSwainson, 1821

Sphecodina abbottii, or Abbott's sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by William John Swainson in 1821.

Contents

Distribution

It lives in central and eastern North America, [1] [2] but is not known to be present in most of Florida. [1]

Biology

Adults fly in May and June in the north, but have several generations in the south. Larvae feed on grapes ( Vitis ), Parthenocissus quinquefolia and Ampelopsis . [3]

Description

The underwings have a strong yellow band and in flight, the moth buzzes, appearing like a bee. The forewings are violet grey when fresh and have a "barklike pattern of swirling black lines" according to David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie. [4] At rest, they raise their abdomens and are well camouflaged on tree bark, looking like a broken branch. [3]

Early instars are a pale greenish white, with at first a horn, but later a brown knob near the hind end. Final instars (75 mm in length) come in two patterns: one has brown bands such that there are ten large pale green spots on the back and an eyespot on the rear. This form may mimic grapes. Others are completely brown, with a wood-grain patterning, and with the rear eyespot. [3] In the final instar the knob looks a lot like a vertebrate eye, down to the white reflection spot. If it is pinched or poked, the larva squeaks and bites at the attacker. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ceratomia catalpae</i> Species of moth

Ceratomia catalpae, the catalpa sphinx, is a hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875. Other common names are the Catawba worm, or Catalpa sphinx.

<i>Eumorpha pandorus</i> Species of moth

Eumorpha pandorus, the Pandora sphinx moth or Pandorus sphinx moth, is a North American moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1821.

<i>Ceratomia amyntor</i> Species of moth

Ceratomia amyntor, the elm sphinx or four-horned sphinx, is a North American moth in the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Geyer in 1835. It has a wingspan of 3+14-4+12 inches. As the name suggests, the larvae (caterpillars) feed on elm trees (Ulmus), but they can also be found feeding on birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and cherry (Prunus). When the caterpillars are ready, they crawl to the bottom of the host tree, where they crawl underneath the soil and pupate and may overwinter underground if late enough into the year. Vegetable growers should be aware of this larvae due to its insatiable appetite. One of these larvae are capable in devouring huge amounts of plant's foliage and even succulent stems.

<i>Smerinthus jamaicensis</i> Species of moth

Smerinthus jamaicensis, the twin-spotted sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.

<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>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>Eumorpha intermedia</i> Species of moth

Eumorpha intermedia, the intermediate sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Benjamin Preston Clark in 1917. It lives in the US states of North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and southern Texas.

<i>Eumorpha typhon</i> Species of moth

Eumorpha typhon, the Typhon sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Johann Christoph Friedrich Klug in 1836.

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

Daphnis hypothous, the jade hawkmoth, is a species of moth in the family Sphingidae described by Pieter Cramer in 1780. It is known from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is a rare vagrant to the Western Palaearctic realm. During the last hundred years a number have been discovered within the Middle East and one was even found in Scotland late in the 20th century but this was probably imported as a pupa with cargo.

<i>Hippotion celerio</i> Species of moth

Hippotion celerio, the vine hawk-moth or silver-striped hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<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 a "hummingbird moth" because of their bird-like size and flight patterns.

<i>Xylophanes tyndarus</i> Species of moth

Xylophanes tyndarus is a moth of the family Sphingidae first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875. It is distributed from Mexico and Belize to Brazil and westward into Bolivia.

<i>Darapsa myron</i> Species of moth

Darapsa myron, the Virginia creeper sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae found in central and eastern North America.

<i>Hippotion velox</i> Species of moth

Hippotion velox, the dark striated hawkmoth, is a species of sphingid moth or the family Sphingidae. The species was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793.

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

Macroglossum assimilis is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by William John Swainson in 1821 and is known from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

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

The Australian striped hawk moth is a moth of the family Sphingidae first described by the Scottish-born Australian medical practitioner, naturalist, author, philosopher and utopianist; Thomas Pennington Lucas in 1892. H. livornicoides was once a common food source for the Arrente community in Central Australia, however is not consumed anymore due to their sacredness and increasing scarcity. The local name for the caterpillar is 'Ayepe-arenye', often anglicised as 'Yeperenye' or 'Yipirinya'.

<i>Proserpinus flavofasciata</i> Species of moth

Proserpinus flavofasciata, the yellow-banded day sphinx, is a species of hawk moth which occurs at the edges of, and in clearings in, boreal and mountain forests across Canada, as far south as Maine and Massachusetts in the east and as far north as Alaska in the west. It is much more common in the west of its range.

<i>Rhagastis albomarginatus</i> Species of moth

Rhagastis albomarginatus is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

<i>Xylophanes libya</i> Species of moth

Xylophanes libya, the Libya sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Herbert Druce in 1878. It is known from southern Texas, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Panama and from Venezuela south and west to Bolivia and Paraguay.

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

Eupanacra elegantulus is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from south-east Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

References

  1. 1 2 3 NatureServe (31 May 2024). "Sphecodina abbottii". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 Kitching, I.J.; Scoble, M.J.; Smith, C.R.; James, S.; Young, R.; Blagoderov, V. (2012). "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wagner, David L. (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. p. 270. ISBN   0691121443.
  4. Beadle, David; Leckie, Seabrooke (2012). Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 266. ISBN   9780547238487.