Aellopos fadus
(Fadus Sphinx)Conservation Status
Status
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Taxonomy
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Latreille, 1829 - arthropods
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
Snodgrass, 1938 - Hexapods
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Epiclass: Hexapoda
- Hexapods
- Class: Insecta
Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies, Moths
- Series: Bombyciformes
- Superfamily: Bombycoidea
- Family: Bombycidae
- Subfamily: Macroglossinae
- Macroglossinae
- Genus: Aellopos
- Specific name: fadus Butler 1877
- Scientific name: Aellopos fadus Butler 1877
- Specific name: fadus Butler 1877
- Genus: Aellopos
- Subfamily: Macroglossinae
- Macroglossinae
- Family: Bombycidae
- Superfamily: Bombycoidea
- Series: Bombyciformes
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies, Moths
- Class: Insecta
Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Epiclass: Hexapoda
- Hexapods
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
Snodgrass, 1938 - Hexapods
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Latreille, 1829 - arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
Notes:
Name Status: Provisionally Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Beccaloni G.
Physical Description
Subfamily Macroglossinae:
The Macroglossinae are members of the Family Sphingidae. They are widely distributed, medium to very large-sized moths with robust bodies. Some are active at night, others at twilight or dawn, and others (such as the clearwings) feed on flowers during the day and resemble bumblebees or hummingbirds. Larvae feed feed day and night on woody and herbaceous plants. Adults of the Macroglossinae have sensory hairs on the first segment of their labial palps, while adults of the Sphinginae lack them. Most species pupate in the soil, though some form loose cocoons in the leaf layer.
Color:
Body is brown with a wide white band across the abdomen. Upperside of wings is dark brown; forewing has 2 bands of pale spots and lacks a black spot at the end of the cell; hindwing has a pale patch on the costa and one on the inner margin.
Size/Age/Growth:
Wing span: 2 1/4 - 2 3/4 inches (6.4 - 7 cm).
Distribution
Habitat
Tropical and subtropical lowlands.
Diet
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the madder family (Rubiaceae) including Genipa and Alibertia. Adult food: Nectar from flowers including Abelia.
Reproduction
Caterpillars pupate in loose cocoons spun in shallow underground burrows.
Behavior
Flight: . All year in the tropics; one brood from September-December in Texas, Arkansas, and Florida.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Aellopos:
There are approximately 19 species in this genus.: A. aedon · A. aguacana · A. annulosum · A. balteata · A. blaini · A. ceculus · A. clavipes (Clavipes Sphinx) · A. cubana · A. eumelas · A. fadus (Fadus Sphinx) · A. flavosignata · A. gehleni · A. ixion · A. sisyphus · A. tantalus (Tantalus Sphinx) · A. terpunctata · A. titan (Titan Sphinx) · A. tripunctata · A. zonata
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Notes
Contributors:
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed January 14, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
Data Sources:
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal January 14, 2008:
Identifiers:
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