Smerinthus ocellatus

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Eyed hawk-moth
Smerinthus ocellatus MHNT Chene.jpg
Rest position on an oak trunk
Smerinthus ocellatus 01.JPG
Caterpillar
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Smerinthus
Species:
S. ocellatus
Binomial name
Smerinthus ocellatus
Synonyms
  • Sphinx ocellataLinnaeus, 1758
  • Sphinx salicisHübner, 1796
  • Sphinx semipavoRetzius, 1783
  • Smerinthus ocellata (misspelling)
  • Smerinthus atlanticusAustaut, 1890
  • Smerinthus atlanticus aestivalis(Austaut, 1890)
  • Smerinthus ocellata albescensTutt, 1902
  • Smerinthus ocellata biocellata(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata brunnescens(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata caecaTutt, 1902
  • Smerinthus ocellata caerulocellata(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata cinerascensStaudinger, 1879
  • Smerinthus ocellata deroseata(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata diluta(Closs, 1917)
  • Smerinthus ocellata flavescensNeumann, 1930
  • Smerinthus ocellata grisea(Closs, 1917)
  • Smerinthus ocellata kainitiKnop, 1937
  • Smerinthus ocellata monochromicaCockayne, 1953
  • Smerinthus ocellata ollivryiOberthür, 1920
  • Smerinthus ocellata pallidaTutt, 1902
  • Smerinthus ocellata parvocellata(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata reductaSchnaider, 1950
  • Smerinthus ocellata roseaBartel, 1900
  • Smerinthus ocellata rufescens(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata uniformis(Lempke, 1959)
  • Smerinthus ocellata viridiocellata(Lempke, 1959)

Smerinthus ocellatus, the eyed hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Contents

The eyespots are not visible in resting position, where the forewings cover them. They are displayed when the moth feels threatened, and may startle a potential predator, giving the moth a chance to escape. [2]

Imago

The adult (imago) is very similar in appearance to the other two western Palaearctic Smerinthus species, Smerinthus caecus and Smerinthus kindermannii but differentiated by an apical thorn on the foretibia, and the large, circular hindwing ocellus. The upperside forewings are marked in light and dark shades of brown and resemble the colouring of bark. The hindwings are pink coloured basally and then a yellow ochre. The hindwings are dominated by a large, blue, dark-centred and black-rimmed eyespot. The thorax has light brown sides and dark brown hairs in the middle. In addition to variations in the density of the forewing pattern intensity, differences in colour are also found on the hindwing. In f. flavescens Neumann hindwing pink is replaced by yellow in f. pallida Tutt by grey and in f. albescens Tutt. In f. rosea Bartel, the pink is deep and the forewings are yellowish brown; in f. ollivryi Oberthür, the ocellus is replaced by a buff brown patch. The adult moth has a wingspan of 70–80 millimetres (2.8–3.1 in). [3]

Historical description

Edward Newman described it thus: [4]

The Eyed Hawk-Moth, so called from a large and beautiful spot in each of the hind wings that somewhat resembles an eye. The fore wings are brown, with a very beautiful reddish bloom over them, and clouded with olive-brown. The hind wings are of a delicate rosy red at the base, and a pale brown towards the margin; and each has a large and beautiful eye-like spot, grey in the centre, surrounded with blue, and the blue surrounded by a black ring. The skin of the caterpillar is rough, like shagreen; it is pale green, sprinkled with white, and has seven oblique white stripes on each side. The horn at the tail is blue. It is very common in the autumn, feeding on apple trees in gardens, and on willow bushes in hedges. The chrysalis is red-brown, and glossy. The Moth is found about Midsummer.

Larva

The larva (caterpillar) is pale bluish or yellowish green with small white-tipped tubercules and a grey-blue tail horn. The sides are striped white or yellow and the spiracles are white ringed with dark red. The larvae grow to about 80 mm. The larval food plants are various species of Salix , Populus and Malus . [5]

Pupa

The pupa is glossy reddish brown, and is formed below the soil surface in late summer, where it overwinters. The adults emerge the following summer in May or June. [5]

Subspecies

Smerinthus ocellatus atlanticus is sometimes treated as a full species, in which case Smerinthus atlanticus protai is placed as a subspecies of this species, rather than Smerinthus ocellatus.

Nomenclatural note

The name Smerinthus is apparently derived from the Greek feminine noun 'Merinthos', but has been Latinised with the masculine -us ending and is thus, according to the ICZN article 30.1.3, [7] masculine. [8] As the ICZN rules that species names that are adjectives should agree in gender with the genus name, the common use of Smerinthus ocellata for this species is incorrect.

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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

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<i>Psilogramma menephron</i> Species of moth

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

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<i>Marumba dyras</i> Species of moth

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

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

Hyles gallii, the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775.

<i>Smerinthus</i> Genus of moths

Smerinthus is a Holarctic genus of hawkmoths in the family Sphingidae. It was described by Pierre André Latreille in 1802. Adults have conspicuous eyespots on the hindwings.

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

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

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

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

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

Hyles livornica, the striped hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

<i>Deilephila porcellus</i> Species of moth

Deilephila porcellus, the small elephant 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 in Europe, North Africa and western Asia.

<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>Pergesa</i> Genus of moths

Pergesa is a monotypic moth genus in the family Sphingidae first described by Francis Walker in 1856. Its only species, Pergesa acteus, the green pergesa hawkmoth, was described by Pieter Cramer in 1779.

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

Laothoe austanti, the Maghreb poplar hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Otto Staudinger in 1877. It is known from the Atlas Mountains and coastal plains of Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia and the neighbouring desert areas. The habitat consists of poplar- and willow-lined streams and rivers.

References

  1. "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  2. Stevens, Martin (2005). "The role of eyespots as anti-predator mechanisms, principally demonstrated in the Lepidoptera". Biological Reviews . 80 (4): 573–588. doi:10.1017/S1464793105006810. PMID   16221330.
  3. Ian Kimber (2010). "Eyed Hawk-moth Smerinthus ocellata (Linnaeus, 1758)". UKMoths. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
  4. Edward Newman, The Illustrated Natural History of British Moths (1869)
  5. 1 2 Carter, D. J. and Hargreaves, B. (1986) A Field Guide to Caterpillars of Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Collins, London. ISBN   0 00 219080 X
  6. Pittaway, A. R. (2018). "Smerinthus ocellatus atlanticus Austaut, 1890". Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  7. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 4th Edition, 1999, Article 30.1.3.
  8. Paclt, J. (1978). "The Nomenclature in an important British checklist (1972): part 4: correct gender for some other generic names". Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. 17: 24-26.