Langia maculata

Description

Family Sphingidae

The Sphingidae belong to the Superfamily Sphingoidea. Members of this family are commonly called "hummingbird," "sphinx," or "hawk" moths, and some can be mistaken for hummingbirds. Most are medium to large moths, with heavy bodies; wingspread reaches 5 inches or more in some species. The Sphingidae are strong and fast fliers, with a rapid wingbeat. Most species in the group are active at dusk, and most feed much like hummingbirds, hovering in front of a flower and sipping nectar through the extended proboscis. The proboscis rolls up when not in use. Some species lack scales on large portions of their wings, resulting in transparent or clear wings. In most species, the larval stage is called a "hornworm" because the caterpillar's posterior end has a harmless hook or hornlike appendage protruding upward. Unfortunately, the caterpillar of some species can be very destructive to agricultural crops and ornamental plantings .

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Protostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa () - Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda () - Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda () - Latreille, 1829 - arthropods
        Subphylum: Mandibulata () - Snodgrass, 1938
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata () - Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda ()
        Epiclass: Hexapoda ()
        Class: Insecta () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia ()
        Infraclass: Pterygota ()
        Cohort: Myoglossata ()
        Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera ()
        Order: Lepidoptera () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies, Moths
        Suborder: Glossata ()
        Infraorder: Heteroneura ()
        Superfamily: Sphingoidea ()
        Family: Sphingidae () - Samouelle, 1819 - Sphinx Moths, Hawkmoths
        Genus: Langia ()
        Specific name: maculata
        Scientific name: - Langia maculata

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Langia

There are approximately 9 species in this genus:

L. formosa · L. formosana · L. khasiana · L. kunmingensis · L. maculata · L. nawai · L. nina · L. szechuana · L. zenzeroides

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 18, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 18, 2008:

National Chemical Laboratory: IndOBIS, Indian Ocean Node of OBIS

Identifiers

Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 17491585
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3755554