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Sphingidae

(Family)

Overview

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Sphingidae is a family of moths (Lepidoptera), commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,450 species.1] It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region[2]. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid, sustained flying ability[2]. The narrow wings and streamlined abdomen are adaptations for rapid flight.

Some hawk moths, like the hummingbird hawk moth, hover in midair while they feed on nectar from flowers and are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds. This hovering capability has evolved only three times in nectar feeders: in hummingbirds, certain bats, and these sphingids[3] (an example of convergent evolution). Sphingids have been much studied for their flying ability, especially their ability to move rapidly from side to side while hovering, called 'swing-hovering.' It is thought that this evolved to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers[3].

Sphingids are some of the fastest flying insects, some are capable of flying at over 50 km/h (30 miles per hour). They have a wingspan of 35-150 mm.

Life cycle

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Vine hawk moth larva (Hippotion celerio)

Most species are multivoltine, capable of producing several generations a year if weather conditions permit[4].

Eggs

Females lay translucent greenish, flattened, smooth eggs[2]. Eggs are usually laid singly[5] on the host plants[4]. Egg development time varies highly, from 3 to 21 days[4].

Larvae

A Hyles gallii caterpillar seeking a place to pupate; The color of the caterpillar darkens before pupation.

Sphingid caterpillars are medium to large in size, with stout bodies. They have 5 pairs of prolegs[4]. Usually their bodies lack any hairs or tubercules, but most species have a "horn" at the posterior end[2], which may be reduced to a button, or absent, in the final instar[4]. Many are cryptic greens and browns, and have countershading patterns to conceal them. Others are more conspicuously colored, typically with white spots on a black or yellow background along the length of the body. A pattern of diagonal slashes along the side is a common feature. When resting, the larva usually holds the legs off the surface and tucks its head underneath, which gives rise to the name 'sphinx moth'[4]. Some tropical larvae are thought to mimic snakes[2]. Larvae are quick to regurgitate their sticky, often toxic, foregut contents on attackers such as ants and parasitoids[4]. Development rate depends on temperature, and to speed development some northern and high altitude species sunbathe[4]. Larvae burrow into soil to go into chrysalis, where they remain for 2?3 weeks before they emerge as adults.

Pupae

In some sphingidae, the pupa has a free proboscis, rather than being fused to the pupal case as is most common in Macrolepidoptera [2]. They have a cremaster at the tip of the abdomen[4]. Usually they pupate off the host plant, in an underground chamber, among rocks, or in a loose cocoon[4]. In most species, the pupa is the overwintering stage.

Adults

A Feeding Hawk Moth at Olympiaki Akti (Greece)

Description

Antennae are generally not very feathery, even in the males[2]. They lack tympanal organs but members of the tribe Choerocampini have hearing organs on their heads[2]. They have a frenulum and retinaculum to join hindwings and forewings [2]. The thorax, abdomen, and wings are densely covered in scales. Sphingids may have a reduced proboscis, but most have a very long proboscis[2]. They use it to feed on nectar from flowers. Most are crepuscular or nocturnal, but some species fly during the day[4]. Both males and females are relatively long-lived (living 10 to 30 days)[4]. Prior to flight, most species shiver their flight muscles to warm them up, and, during flight, body temperatures may surpass 40?C ([4].

In some species, sexual dimorphism (differences in form between the sexes) is quite marked. For example, in the African species Herse convolvuli (the Convolvulus or Morning Glory Hawk Moth), the antennae are thicker and wing markings more mottled in the male than in the female. Only males have both an undivided frenular hook and a retinaculum. Also all male hawk moths have a partial comb of hairs along their antennae.[6] Females call males to them with pheromones. The male may douse the female with a pheromone[4] before mating.

Behaviour

Some species fly only for short periods either around dusk or dawn, while other species only appear later in the evening and others around midnight, but such species may occasionally be seen feeding at flowers during the day. There are a few common species in Africa, such as Cephonodes hylas virescens (the Oriental Bee Hawk), Leucostrophus hirundo and Macroglossum trochilus, which are diurnal[6].

Food plants

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Larvae

Bee Hawk moth (Cephonodes kingii), Crows Nest, New South Wales

Sphingid larvae tend to be specific feeders, rather than generalists[4]. Compared to similarly sized saturniids, sphingids eat soft young leaves of host plants with small toxic molecules, and chew and mash the food into very small bits[7]. Some species can tolerate quite high concentrations of specific toxins. Tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta, detoxify and rapidly excrete nicotine, as do several other related sphinx moths in the subfamilies Sphinginae and Macroglossinae, but members of Smerinthinae that were tested are susceptible[8]. The species that are able to tolerate the toxin do not sequester it in their tissues; 98% was excreted. However, other species, such as Hyles euphorbiae and Daphnis nerii do sequester toxins from their hosts, but do not pass them on to the adult stage[4].

Adults

Hemaris thysbe or Hummingbird Clearwing Moth feeding on Lantana flowers

Most adults feed on nectar, although a few tropical species feed on eye secretions and the Death's-head Hawkmoth steals honey from bees[4]. Night-flying sphingids tend to prefer pale flowers with long corolla tube and a sweet odour, a pollination syndrome known as 'sphingophily'[3]. Some species are quite general in visitations, while others are very specific, with the plant only being successfully pollinated by a particular species of moth[3]. Orchids frequently have such specific relations with hawkmoths, and very long corolla tubes. The Comet Orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, a rare Malagasy flower with its nectar stored at the bottom of a 30 cm long tube, was described in 1822 by Aubert du Petit-Thouars, and later Charles Darwin famously predicted that there must be some specialised animal to feed from it:

"[A. sesquipetale has] nectaries 11 and a half inches long, with only the lower inch and a half filled with very sweet nectar [...] it is, however, surprising, that any insect should be able to reach the nectar: our English sphinxes have probosces as long as their bodies; but in Madagascar there must be moths with probosces capable of extension to a length of between 10 and 12 inches!"[9]

Alfred Russel Wallace published a sort of "wanted poster" (properly, a drawing in a book) [10][unreliable source?] of what this butterfly might look like, and, concurring with his colleague, added:

"[The proboscis of a hawkmoth] from tropical Africa ([Xanthopan] morganii) is seven inches and a half. A species having a proboscis two or three inches longer could reach the nectar in the largest flowers of Angr?cum sesquipedale, whose nectaries vary in length from ten to fourteen inches. That such a moth exists in Madagascar may be safely predicted, and naturalists who visit that island should search for it with as much confidence as astronomers searched for the planet Neptune, ? and they will be equally successful."[11]

A possible species was discovered 21 years later, for which the hawkmoth in question was found and described as a subspecies of the one mentioned by Wallace: Xanthopan morganii praedicta[12], for which, the subspecific name praedicta ("the predicted one") was given. The subspecies has however been subsequently declared as invalid due to its similarity to mainland species.

Representative species

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Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii), Hooghly, West Bengal, India

There are around 1,450 species of hawk moth, classified into around 200 genera. Some of the best known species are:< /p>

  • Privet hawkmoth (Sphinx ligustri)
  • Death's-head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos)
  • Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae)
  • Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)
  • Catalpa Sphinx (Ceratomia catalpae)
  • Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
  • Elephant hawk moth (Deilephila elpenor)
  • Vine hawk moth (Hippotion celerio)
  • Spurge hawk moth (Hyles euphorbiae)
  • Oleander hawk moth (Daphnis nerii)
  • Tomato worm (Manduca quinquemaculata)

In popular culture

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John Linnell, of the rock band They Might Be Giants, reportedly wrote the song "Bee of the Bird of the Moth" (on their album The Else) after he saw a "hummingbird moth", presumably one of the members of this family that resembles a hummingbird.[13]

Edgar Allan Poe includes a sphinx moth in his short story, "The Sphinx". The m ain character mistakenly thinks that the moth on a window is a huge monster. Much to his surprise, his friend points out that it is in fact very close and not on a hill in the distance.

See also

[ Back to top ]
  • Sphingidae species list
  • List of moths of India
  • List of moths of Great Britain (Sphingidae)
  • List of moths of U.S. States

External links

[ Back to top ]
>Sphingidae is a family of moths (Lepidoptera), commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,450 species.1] It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region[2]. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid, sustained flying ability[2]. The narrow wings and streamlined abdomen are adaptations for rapid flight.

Some hawk moths, like the hummingbird hawk moth, hover in midair while they feed on nectar from flowers and are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds. This hovering capability has evolved only three times in nectar feeders: in hummingbirds, certain bats, and these sphingids[3] (an example of convergent evolution). Sphingids have been much studied for their flying ability, especially their ability to move rapidly from side to side while hovering, called 'swing-hovering.' It is thought that this evolved to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers[3].

Sphingids are some of the fastest flying insects, some are capable of flying at over 50 km/h (30 miles per hour). They have a wingspan of 35-150 mm.

Life cycle

[ Back to top ]
Vine hawk moth larva (Hippotion celerio)

Most species are multivoltine, capable of producing several generations a year if weather conditions permit[4].

Eggs

Females lay translucent greenish, flattened, smooth eggs[2]. Eggs are usually laid singly[5 ] on the host plants[4]. Egg development time varies highly, from 3 to 21 days[4].

Larvae

A Hyles gallii caterpillar seeking a place to pupate; The color of the caterpillar darkens before pupation.

Sphingid caterpillars are medium to large in size, with stout bodies. They have 5 pairs of prolegs[4]. Usually their bodies lack any hairs or tubercules, but most species have a "horn" at the posterior end[2], which may be reduced to a button, or absent, in the final instar[4]. Many are cryptic greens and browns, and have countershading patterns to conceal them. Others are more conspicuously colored, typically with white spots on a black or yellow background along the length of the body. A pattern of diagonal slashes along the side is a common feature. When resting, the larva usually holds the legs off the surface and tucks its head underneath, which gives rise to the name 'sphinx moth'[4]. Some tropical larvae are thought to mimic snakes[2]. Larvae are quick to regurgitate their sticky, often toxic, foregut contents on attackers such as ants and parasitoids[4]. Development rate depends on temperature, and to speed development some northern and high altitude species sunbathe[4]. Larvae burrow into soil to go into chrysalis, where they remain for 2?3 weeks before they emerge as adults.

Pupae

In some sphingidae, the pupa has a free proboscis, rather than being fused to the pupal case as is most common in Macrolepidoptera [2]. They have a cremaster at the tip of the abdomen[4]. Usually they pupate off the host plant, in an underground chamber, among rocks, or in a loose cocoon[4]. In most species, the pupa is the overwintering stage.

Adults

A Feeding Hawk Moth at Olympiaki Akti (Greece)

Description

Antennae are generally not very feathery, even in the males[2]. They lack tympanal organs but members of the tribe Choerocampini have hearing organs on their heads[2]. They have a frenulum and retinaculum to join hindwings and forewings [2]. The thorax, abdomen, and wings are densely covered in scales. Sphingids may have a reduced proboscis, but most have a very long proboscis[2]. They use it to feed on nectar from flowers. Most are crepuscular or nocturnal, but some species fly during the day[4]. Both males and females are relatively long-lived (living 10 to 30 days)[4]. Prior to flight, most species shiver their flight muscles to warm them up, and, during flight, body temperatures may surpass 40?C ([4].

In some species, sexual dimorphism (differences in form between the sexes) is quite marked. For example, in the African species Herse convolvuli (the Convolvulus or Morning Glory Hawk Moth), the antennae are thicker and wing markings more mottled in the male than in the female. Only males have both an undivided frenular hook and a retinaculum. Also all male hawk moths have a partial comb of hairs along their antennae.[6] Females call males to them with pheromones. The male may douse the female with a pheromone[4] before mating.

Behaviour

Some species fly only for short periods either around dusk or dawn, while other species only appear later in the evening and others around midnight, but such species may occasionally be seen feeding at flowers during the day. There are a few common species in Africa, such as Cephonodes hylas virescens (the Oriental Bee Hawk), Leucostrophus hirundo and Macroglossum trochilus, which are diurnal[6].

Food plants

[ Back to top ]

Larvae

Bee Hawk moth (Cephonodes kingii), Crows Nest, New South Wales

Sphingid larvae tend to be specific feeders, rather than generalists[4]. Compared to similarly sized saturniids, sphingids eat soft young leaves of host plants with small toxic molecules, and chew and mash the food into very small bits[7]. Some species can tolerate quite high concentrations of s pecific toxins. Tobacco hornworms, Manduca sexta, detoxify and rapidly excrete nicotine, as do several other related sphinx moths in the subfamilies Sphinginae and Macroglossinae, but members of Smerinthinae that were tested are susceptible[8]. The species that are able to tolerate the toxin do not sequester it in their tissues; 98% was excreted. However, other species, such as Hyles euphorbiae and Daphnis nerii do sequester toxins from their hosts, but do not pass them on to the adult stage[4].

Adults

Hemaris thysbe or Hummingbird Clearwing Moth feeding on Lantana flowers

Most adults feed on nectar, although a few tropical species feed on eye secretions and the Death's-head Hawkmoth steals honey from bees[4]. Night-flying sphingids tend to prefer pale flowers with long corolla tube and a sweet odour, a pollination syndrome known as 'sphingophily'[3]. Some species are quite general in visitations, while others are very specific, with the plant only being successfully pollinated by a particular species of moth[3]. Orchids frequently have such specific relations with hawkmoths, and very long corolla tubes. The Comet Orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, a rare Malagasy flower with its nectar stored at the bottom of a 30 cm long tube, was described in 1822 by Aubert du Petit-Thouars, and later Charles Darwin famously predicted that there must be some specialised animal to feed from it:

"[A. sesquipetale has] nectaries 11 and a half inches long, with only the lower inch and a half filled with very sweet nectar [...] it is, however, surprising, that any insect should be able to reach the nectar: our English sphinxes have probosces as long as their bodies; but in Madagascar there must be moths with probosces capable of extension to a length of between 10 and 12 inches!"[9]

Alfred Russel Wallace published a sort of "wanted poster" (properly, a drawing in a book) [10][unreliable source?] of what this butterfly might look like, and, concurring with his colleague, added:

"[The proboscis of a hawkmoth] from tropical Africa ([Xanthopan] morganii) is seven inches and a half. A species having a proboscis two or three inches longer could reach the nectar in the largest flowers of Angr?cum sesquipedale, whose nectaries vary in length from ten to fourteen inches. That such a moth exists in Madagascar may be safely predicted, and naturalists who visit that island should search for it with as much confidence as astronomers searched for the planet Neptune, ? and they will be equally successful."[11]

A possible species was discovered 21 years later, for which the hawkmoth in question was found and described as a subspecies of the one mentioned by Wallace: Xanthopan morganii praedicta[12], for which, the subspecific name praedicta ("the predicted one") was given. The subspecies has however been subsequently declared as invalid due to its similarity to mainland species.

Representative species

[ Back to top ]
Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii), Hooghly, West Bengal, India

There are around 1,450 species of hawk moth, classified into around 200 genera. Some of the best known species are:< /p>

  • Privet hawkmoth (Sphinx ligustri)
  • Death's-head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos)
  • Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae)
  • Poplar Hawk-moth (Laothoe populi)
  • Catalpa Sphinx (Ceratomia catalpae)
  • Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
  • Elephant hawk moth (Deilephila elpenor)
  • Vine hawk moth (Hippotion celerio)
  • Spurge hawk moth (Hyles euphorbiae)
  • Oleander hawk moth (Daphnis nerii)
  • Tomato worm (Manduca quinquemaculata)

In popular culture

[ Back to top ]

John Linnell, of the rock band They Might Be Giants, reportedly wrote the song "Bee of the Bird of the Moth" (on their album The Else) after he saw a "hummingbird moth", presumably one of the members of this family that resembles a hummingbird.[13]

Edgar Allan Poe includes a sphinx moth in his short story, "The Sphinx". The m ain character mistakenly thinks that the moth on a window is a huge monster. Much to his surprise, his friend points out that it is in fact very close and not on a hill in the distance.

See also

[ Back to top ]
  • Sphingidae species list
  • List of moths of India
  • List of moths of Great Britain (Sphingidae)
  • List of moths of U.S. States

External links

[ Back to top ]

References

[ Back to top ]
  1. ^ van Nieukerken et al. (2011). "Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness". Zootaxa 3148: 212-221. http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03148p221.pdf. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Scoble, Malcolm J. (1995): The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity (2nd edition). Oxford University Press & Natural History Museum London. ISBN 0-19-854952-0
  3. ^ a b c d Kitching, Ian J. (2002): The phylogenetic relationships of Morgan's Sphinx, Xanthopan morganii (Walker), the tribe Acherontiini, and allied long-tongued hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae, Sphinginae). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 135(4): 471-527. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2002.00021.x (HTML abstract)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Pittaway, A. R. (1993): The hawkmoths of the western Palaearctic. Harley Books & Natural History Museum, London. ISBN 0-946589-21-6
  5. ^ Grimaldi, David & Engel, Michael S. (2005): Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82149-5
  6. ^ a b Pinhey, E (1962): Hawk Moths of Central and Southern Africa. Longmans Southern Africa, Cape Town.
  7. ^ Bernays, E. A. & Janzen, D. H. (1988): Saturniid and Sphingid caterpillars - 2 ways to eat leaves. Ecology 69(4): 1153-1160. doi:10.2307/1941269 PDF fulltext
  8. ^ Wink, M. & Theile, Vera (2002): Alkaloid tolerance in Manduca sexta and phylogenetically related sphingids (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Chemoecology 12: 29?46. doi:10.1007/s00049-002-8324-2 PDF fulltext
  9. ^ Darwin, Charles (1862): On the Various Contrivances by Which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing John Murray, London. HTML fulltext
  10. ^ "Image at perso.orange.fr". http://perso.orange.fr/cryptozoo/dossiers/xanthopan_wallace.jpg. Retrieved 2011-10-18. 
  11. ^ Wallace, Alfred Russel (1867): Creation by law. Quarterly Journal of Science 4: 470?488. HTML fulltext
  12. ^ Rothschild, Walter & Jordan, Karl (1903): A revision of the lepidopterous family Sphingidae. Novitates Zoologicae 9(Supplement): 1?972.
  13. ^ "Interpretations:Bee Of The Bird Of The Moth - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base". TMBW. 2011-10-12. http://tmbw.net/wiki/Interpretations:Bee_Of_The_Bird_Of_The_Moth. Retrieved 2011-10-18. 

Taxonomy

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The Family Sphingidae is a member of the Superfamily Sphingoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Sphingidae:

The Family Sphingidae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Acanthosphinx

Acanthosphinx is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family, containing one species Acanthosphinx guessfeldti. It is known from forests from Sierra Leone to the Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda. [more]

Acherontia

The name Death's-head Hawkmoth refers to any one of the three species (, A. styx and A. lachesis) of moth in the genus Acherontia. The former species is primarily found in Europe, the latter two are Asian, and most uses of the common name refer to the European species. These moths are easily distinguishable by the vaguely skull-shaped pattern of markings on the thorax. All three species are fairly similar in size, coloration, and life cycle. [more]

Acosmerycoides

Acosmerycoides is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family, containing only one species Acosmerycoides harterti, which is found from Assam in India, eastwards across southern China to Taiwan and south to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. [more]

Acosmeryx

Acosmeryx is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Adhemarius

Adhemarius is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Aellopos

For the characters from Greek mythology see Aello. [more]

Afroclanis

Afroclanis is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Afrosphinx

Afrosphinx is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family, containing one species, Afrosphinx amabilis, which is known from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The habitat consists of Brachystegia woodland. [more]

Agnosia

Agnosia (a-gnosis, or loss of knowledge) is a loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells while the specific sense is not defective nor is there any significant memory loss. It is usually associated with brain injury or neurological illness, particularly after damage to the occipitotemporal border, which is part of the ventral stream. [more]

Agrius

Agrius or Agrios (Ancient Greek: ), in Greek mythology, is a name that may refer to: [more]

Akbesia

Akbesia is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family, containing only one species, the Pistacia Hawkmoth (Akbesia davidi), which is known from southern Turkey, northern Syria, northern Israel, western Jordan, south-eastern Turkey, north-eastern Iraq, south-eastern Georgia, northern Iran, eastern Afghanistan and Iranian Beluchistan. It may also occur across Azerbaijan, the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran, the Zagros Mountains of western and southern Iran, and northern Afghanistan. It often occurs in large numbers at certain sites in rocky, hilly areas supporting scattered trees and shrubs of Quercus, Olea, Ceratonia and Pistacia. [more]

Aleuron

Aleuron is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Ambulyx

Ambulyx is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Amorpha

Amorpha is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. All the species are native to North America, from southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico. They are commonly known as false indigo. The name Amorpha means "deformed" in Greek and was given because flowers of this genus only have one petal, unlike the usual "pea-shaped" flowers of the Faboideae subfamily. Amorpha is missing the wing and keel petals. [more]

Ampelophaga

Ampelophaga is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Amphimoea

Amphimoea is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Amphion

There are several characters named Amphion (Greek: ; gen.: ??f?????) in Greek mythology: [more]

Amplypterus

Amplypterus is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Anambulyx

Anambulyx is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family, containing only one species, Anambulyx elwesi, which is known from northern Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, south-western China, northern Thailand and northern Vietnam. [more]

Andriasa

Andriasa is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Angonyx

Angonyx is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Antinephele

Antinephele is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family. [more]

Apocalypsis

An apocalypse (Greek: apok?lypsis; "lifting of the veil" or "revelation") is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John (Greek ?p???????? ???????) is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. By extension, apocalypse can refer to any End Time scenario, or to the end of the world in general. [more]

Arctonotus

Proserpinus is a genus of moth in the Sphingidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Aspledon

[more]

Atemnora

Atemnora is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family containing one species, Atemnora westermannii. It is known from wooded habitats throughout the Ethiopian Region including Madagascar, but excluding the extreme south of Africa. [more]

Barbourion

[more]

Basiothia

[more]

Batocnema

[more]

Callambulyx

[more]

Callionima

Callionima is a genus of in the Family Sphingidae. [more]

Callosphingia

[more]

Cautethia

[more]

Cechenena

[more]

Celerio

[more]

Centroctena

[more]

Cephonodes

[more]

Ceratomia

Ceratomia is a genus of . Species include: [more]

Ceridia

[more]

Chaerocina

[more]

Chloroclanis

[more]

Cizara

[more]

Clanidopsis

[more]

Clanis

[more]

Clarina

[more]

Cocytius

Cocytius is a of hawkmoths. Species include: [more]

Coelonia

[more]

Coenotes

[more]

Coequosa

[more]

Compsulyx

[more]

Cypa

[more]

Dahira

[more]

Daphnis

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Daphnusa

[more]

Darapsa

[more]

Degmaptera

[more]

Deidamia

[more]

Deilephila

The Deilephila is part of the family Sphingidae, the hawk-moths or sphinxes. It consists of a small number of species most of which have common names involving the phrase "Elephant hawk moth". They include the Elephant hawk moth, Deilephila elpenor, the Small Elephant Hawk Moth (D. porcellus) and the Chitral Elephant Hawk Moth (D. rivularis). The Oleander Hawk Moth is sometimes classified in this genus as D. nerii, but sometimes treated in genus Daphnis. [more]

Demdrolimus

Dolba

[more]

Dolbina

[more]

Dolbinopsis

[more]

Dolbogene

[more]

Dovania

[more]

Elibia

[more]

Ellenbeckia

[more]

Enpinanga

[more]

Enyo

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[1] [more]

Erinnyis

Erinnyis is a genus of . [more]

Euchloron

[more]

Eumorpha

Eumorpha (meaning "well formed") is a genus of in the family Sphingidae. The genus is mostly found in North and South America. [more]

Eupanacra

[more]

Euproserpinus

Euproserpinus is a genus of sphinx in the Sphingidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Eupyrrhoglossum

[more]

Euryglottis

[more]

Eurypteryx

[more]

Falcatula

[more]

Gehlenia

[more]

Giganteopalpus

[more]

Gnathothlibus

[more]

Grillotius

[more]

Griseosphinx

[more]

Gurelca

[more]

Gynoeryx

[more]

Haemorrhagia

[more]

Hayesiana

[more]

Hemaris

Hemaris is a genus of sphinx moths, consisting of about 17 species, four of which fly in North and South America. Their main host plants are herbs and shrubs of the Dipsacaceae (Teasel) and Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle) families. Moths in the Hemaris genus are collectively called Clearwing Moths or Hummingbird Moths in the US, and Bee Hawk-Moths in Britain. [more]

Hemeroplanes

[more]

Herse

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[2] [more]

Himantoides

[more]

Hippotion

[more]

Hopliocnema

[more]

Hoplistopus

[more]

Hyles

Hyles can refer to: [more]

Hyloicus

[more]

Hypaedalea

[more]

Isognathus

[more]

Isoparce

[more]

Kentochrysalia

Kentrochrysalis

[more]

Kloneus

[more]

Laothoe

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[3] [more]

Lapara

[more]

Lepchina

[more]

Leptoclanis

[more]

Leucomonia

[more]

Leucophlebia

[more]

Leucostrophus

[more]

Libyoclanis

[more]

Likoma

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Litosphingia

[more]

Lomocyma

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Lophostethus

[more]

Lycomedes

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[4] [more]

Lycosphingia

[more]

Maassenia

[more]

Macroglossum

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[5] [more]

Macropoliana

[more]

Madorix

[more]

Madoryx

[more]

Malgassoclanis

[more]

Manduca

Manduca is a genus of the Sphingidae (hawkmoth) family. The Carolina Sphinx (Manduca sexta) is often used in biological research. [more]

Marumba

[more]

Marumbayx

Masrumba

Megacorma

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Meganoton

[more]

Metamimas

[more]

Micracosmeryx

[more]

Microclanis

[more]

Microsphinx

[more]

Mimas

[more]

Monarda

Monarda is a genus consisting of roughly 16 species of erect, herbaceous, annual or perennial plants in the family Lamiaceae. The genus is endemic to North America. Ranging in height from 1 to 3 feet (0.2 to 0.9 m), the plants have an equal spread, with slender and long-tapering (lanceolate) leaves. The leaves are opposite on the stem, smooth to sparsely hairy, with lightly serrated margins, and ranging from 3 to 6 inches (7 to 14 cm) in length. In all species, the leaves, when crushed, exude a spicy, highly fragrant oil. Of the species examined in one study, M. didyma (Oswego Tea) was found to contain the highest concentration of this oil. Common names include bee balm, horsemint, oswego tea, and bergamot, the last one due to the leaves' fragrance resembling that of Citrus bergamia fruits. The genus was named for Nicol?s Monardes, who wrote a book in 1574 describing plants found in the New World. [more]

Nannoparce

[more]

Neoclanis

[more]

Neococytius

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Neogene

The Neogene is a geologic period and system in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) Geologic Timescale starting 23.03 ? 0.05 million years ago and ending 2.588 million years ago. The second period in the Cenozoic Era, it follows the Paleogene Period and is succeeded by the Quaternary Period. The Neogene is subdivided into two epochs, the earlier Miocene and the later Pliocene. [more]

Neogurelca

Neopolyptychus

[more]

Nephele

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[6] [more]

Nyceryx

[more]

Odontosida

[more]

Oligographa

[more]

Opistoclanis

[more]

Orecta

[more]

Oryba

[more]

Oxyambulyx

[more]

Pachygonidia

[more]

Pachylia

[more]

Pachylioides

[more]

Pachysphinx

[more]

Panacra

[more]

Panogena

[more]

Pantophaea

[more]

Paonias

[more]

Paratrea

[more]

Parum

[more]

Pemba

[more]

Pentateucha

[more]

Pergesa

[more]

Perigonia

[more]

Phanes

Phanoxyla

[more]

Phillosphingia

Philodila

[more]

Pholus

Pholus commonly refers to: [more]

Phryxus

[more]

Phyllosphingia

[more]

Phylloxiphia

[more]

Platysphinx

[more]

Poliana

[more]

Poliodes

[more]

Polyptychoides

[more]

Polyptychopsis

[more]

Polyptychus

[more]

Praedora

[more]

Proserpinus

Proserpinus is a genus of in the Sphingidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Protaleuron

[more]

Protambulyx

Protambulyx is a genus of . [more]

Protoparce

[more]

Pseudandriasa

[more]

Pseudenyo

[more]

Pseudoclanis

[more]

Pseudodolbina

[more]

Pseudopolyptychus

[more]

Pseudosphinx

[more]

Psilogramma

[more]

Rethera

[more]

Rhadinopasa

[more]

Rhagastis

Rhetera

[more]

Rhodafra

[more]

Rhodambulyx

[more]

Rhodoprasina

[more]

Rhopalopsyche

[more]

Rufoclanis

[more]

Sagenosoma

[more]

Sataspes

Sataspes was a Persian navigator and cavalry commander whose name is derived from Sat (=100 sad) and Asp (= Horse, Asb). He is also credited with originating the term "horse latitudes". [more]

Smerinthulus

[more]

Smerinthus

Smerinthus is a genus of and part of the Sphingidae. [more]

Sphecodina

[more]

Sphingidites

[more]

Sphingonaepiopsis

[more]

Sphingoneopsis

[more]

Sphingulus

[more]

Sphinx

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[7] [more]

Stolidoptera

[more]

Synoecha

[more]

Temnora

[more]

Temnoripais

[more]

Tetrachroa

[more]

Thamnoecha

[more]

Theretra

[more]

Thibetia

[more]

Tinostoma

The Fabulous Green Sphinx Moth or Fabulous Green Sphinx Of Kauai (Tinostoma smaragditis) is a species of in the Sphingidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Tinostoma. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1998. [more]

Trogolegnum

[more]

Trotonotus

[more]

Unzela

[more]

Xanthopan

[more]

Xenosphingia

[more]

Xylophanes

[more]

At least 166 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Xylophanes.

More info about the Genus Xylophanes may be found here.

References

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  1. ^ van Nieukerken et al. (2011). "Order Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness". Zootaxa 3148: 212-221. http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03148p221.pdf. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Scoble, Malcolm J. (1995): The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity (2nd edition). Oxford University Press & Natural History Museum London. ISBN 0-19-854952-0
  3. ^ a b c d Kitching, Ian J. (2002): The phylogenetic relationships of Morgan's Sphinx, Xanthopan morganii (Walker), the tribe Acherontiini, and allied long-tongued hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae, Sphinginae). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 135(4): 471-527. doi:10.1046/j.1096-3642.2002.00021.x (H TML abstract)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Pittaway, A. R. (1993): The hawkmoths of the western Palaearctic. Harley Books & Natural History Museum, London. ISBN 0-946589-21-6
  5. ^ Grimaldi, David & Engel, Michael S. (2005): Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82149-5
  6. ^ a b Pinhey, E (1962): Hawk Moths of Central and Southern Africa. Longmans Southern Africa, Cape Town.
  7. ^ Bernays, E. A. & Janzen, D. H. (1988): Saturniid and Sphingid caterpillars - 2 ways to eat leaves. Ecology 69(4): 1153-1160. doi :10.2307/1941269 PDF fulltext
  8. ^ Wink, M. & Theile, Vera (2002): Alkaloid tolerance in Manduca sexta and phylogenetically related sphingids (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Chemoecology 12: 29?46. doi:10.1007/s00049-002-8324-2 PDF fulltext
  9. ^ Darwin, Charles (1862): On the Various Contrivances by Which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing John Murray, London. HTML fullt ext
  10. ^ "Image at perso.orange.fr". http://perso.orange.fr/cryptozoo/dossiers/xanthopan_wallace.jpg. Retrieved 2011-10-18. 
  11. ^ Wallace, Alfred Russel (1867): Creation by law. Quarterly Journal of Science 4: 470?488. HTML fulltext
  12. ^ Rothschild, Walter & Jordan, Karl (1903): A revision of the lepidopterous family Sphingidae. Novitates Zoologicae 9(Supplement): 1?972.
  13. ^ "Interpretations:Bee Of The Bird O f The Moth - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base". TMBW. 2011-10-12. http://tmbw.net/wiki/Interpretations:Bee_Of_The_Bird_Of_The_Moth. Retrieved 2011-10-18. 

Footnotes

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  1. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Enyo&search=Search
  2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Herse&search=Search
  3. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Laothoe&search=Search
  4. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Lycomedes&search=Search
  5. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Macroglossum&search=Search
  6. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Nephele&search=Search
  7. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Sphinx&search=Search

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:43:21