Mimas tiliae

Mimas tiliae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Sphingidae
Genus:	Mimas
Species:	M. tiliae
Binomial name
Mimas tiliae (Linnaeus, 1758) [1]
Synonyms
Sphinx tiliaeLinnaeus, 1758 Smerinthus ulmiHeydenreich, 1851 Dilina tiliae brunnescensStaudinger, 1901 Dilina tiliae exstinctaStaudinger, 1901 Dilina tiliae roseotinctaSchawerda, 1922 Merinthus tiliae tilioides(Holle, 1865) Mimas tiliae angustefasciata(Vilarrubia, 1973) Mimas tiliae atroviridisCloss, 1911 Mimas tiliae bicolor(Vilarrubia, 1973) Mimas tiliae bimaculataGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae bimarginalisGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae brunnea-centripunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae brunnea-costipunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae brunnea-marginepunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae brunnea-obsoletaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae brunnea-transversaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae claraCloss, 1917 Mimas tiliae colonGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae constrictaGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae dilutaCockayne, 1953 Mimas tiliae disciferaCloss, 1917 Mimas tiliae excessivaGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae fasciataGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae griseothoraceaCabeau, 1931 Mimas tiliae inversaGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae latefasciata(Vilarrubia, 1973) Mimas tiliae lutescensTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae marginalisMecke, 1926 Mimas tiliae margine-punctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae montanaDaniel & Wolfsberger, 1955 Mimas tiliae pallida-centripunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae pallida-costipunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae pallida-maculataLempke, 1959 Mimas tiliae pallida-marginepunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae pallida-obsoletaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae pallida-transversaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae pallidaJordan, 1911 Mimas tiliae postobscura(Lempke, 1959) Mimas tiliae pseudo-trimaculataGillmer, 1916 Mimas tiliae pseudobipunctata(Lempke, 1959) Mimas tiliae reducta(Vilarrubia, 1973) Mimas tiliae rubraCockayne, 1953 Mimas tiliae rufescens(Vilarrubia, 1973) Mimas tiliae rufobrunneaLenz, 1925 Mimas tiliae semicentripunctaGillmer, 1905 Mimas tiliae semiobsoletaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae suffusa(Clark, 1891) Mimas tiliae transversaJordan, 1911 Mimas tiliae typica-bipunctata(Lempke, 1959) Mimas tiliae virescens-bipunctataLempke, 1937 Mimas tiliae virescens-centripunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae virescens-maculataTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae virescens-marginepunctaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae virescens-obsoletaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae virescens-transversaTutt, 1902 Mimas tiliae virescensJordan, 1911 Mimas tiliae viridis(Closs, 1911) Mimas tiliae vitrinaGehlen, 1931 Smerinthus tiliae bipunctata(Clark, 1891) Smerinthus tiliae brunneaBartel, 1900 Smerinthus tiliae brunneaCaradja, 1893 Smerinthus tiliae centripuncta(Clark, 1891) Smerinthus tiliae costipuncta(Clark, 1891) Smerinthus tiliae immaculataBartel, 1900 Smerinthus tiliae maculata(Wallengren, 1863) Smerinthus tiliae obsoleta(Clark, 1891) Smerinthus tiliae pechmanniHartmann, 1879 Smerinthus tiliae ulmiBartel, 1900

Mimas tiliae, the lime hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East, and has also been identified in Canada's east and western provinces and in northern Spain (Europe). The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

This species is quite variable, though not confusable with any other sphingid of the Palearctic in its markings, the ground colour of the forewings being pinkish or buff, darker towards the tornus, marked with one or two dark green or brown blotches which are sometimes merged to form a continuous band across the middle of the forewing. The hindwings are plainer, grey or buffish brown. The wingspan is 70–80 millimetres (2.8–3.1 in). It exhibits sexual dimorphism, the male usually being smaller but more strongly marked than the female. Usually, the forewing ground colour is brownish in females and decidedly green in males, but there are many exceptions. The female abdomen is straight and fat with fully formed eggs, which are already present when the female emerges (as in all species of Smerinthini). The male abdomen, on the other hand, is strongly curved and slender.

Forms include

• f. brunneaBartel ground colour brown
• f. pallidaTutt ground colour grey
• f. lutescensTutt yellow
• f. virescensTutt ground colour green
• f. transversaTutt dark median band of the forewing entire
• f. tiliae dark median band narrowly separated
• f. obsoletaClark dark median band completely absent

This moth flies at night in May and June, ^{[Note 1]} and is attracted to light. The adults do not feed.

• 
  Caterpillar
• 
  Pupa

• 
  Mimas tiliae♂ - MHNT
• 
  Mimas tiliae♂ underside - MHNT
• 
  Mimas tiliae♀ - MHNT
• 
  Mimas tiliae♀ underside - MHNT

The larva is green with yellow and red markings along the side and a blue horn at the hind end, typical of the family. It feeds mainly on lime but has also been recorded feeding on other trees and shrubs (see list below). The colour changes to purple-grey when ready to pupate, at which point the larvae wander in search of a pupation site. ^[2] The species overwinters as a pupa in the soil at the base of its host tree.

Recorded food plants

• Alnus - alder
• Betula - birch
• Morus - mulberry
• Prunus
• Quercus - oak
• Tilia - lime
• Ulmus - elm

Notes

1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

References

1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
2. Ian Kimber (2010). "Lime Hawk-moth Mimas tiliae (Linnaeus, 1758)". UKMoths. Retrieved September 28, 2010.

• Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
• Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984
• Pittaway, A. R. (2018). "Mimas Hübner, [1819]". Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. Retrieved December 12, 2018.

External links

• Lime Hawk-moth UKMoths
• Description in Richard South The Moths of the British Isles
• Lepiforum e.V.
• Discover the Lime Hawk Moth