Cautethia
| Cautethia | ||||||||||
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Cautethia yucatana , preparation |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Cautethia | ||||||||||
| Grote , 1865 |
Cautethia is a genus of butterflies from the family of swarmers (Sphingidae).
features
The genus includes the smallest hawk species in North America. Their pattern is very variable, which makes it difficult to reliably identify species. Both pairs of wings are clearly rounded. The forewings are speckled with a different combination of white, gray, brown and black. The hind wings have a yellowish area in the middle and wide, dark brown bands along the outer edges.
The previously known caterpillars have an elongated body that tapers sharply from the fourth body segment forward to the small head. The anal horn is relatively fleshy and directed backwards. The pupae are strongly built, have a slightly rough body surface and an overgrown wing sheath.
Occurrence and way of life
The genus is common in the Caribbean and the northern Neotropic . Two species, Cautethia grotei and Cautethia spuria, have been found in the southernmost parts of the United States , and Cautethia yucatana is believed to be an occasional errant there. Caterpillars have been detected on various types of the red family (Rubiaceae).
Systematics
Six species of the genus are known worldwide:
- Cautethia exuma McCabe, 1984
- Cautethia grotei Edwards, 1882
- Cautethia noctuiformis (Walker, 1856)
- Cautethia simitia Schaus, 1932
- Cautethia spuria (Boisduval, [1875])
- Cautethia yucatana Clark, 1919
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c James P. Tuttle: The Hawkmoths of North America, A Natural History Study of the Sphingidae of the United States and Canada . The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Washington, DC 2007, ISBN 978-0-9796633-0-7 .
- ^ Ian J. Kitching, Jean-Marie Cadiou: Hawkmoths of the World. An Annotated and Illustrated Revisionary Checklist (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Cornell University Press, New York 2000, ISBN 0-8014-3734-2
literature
- James P. Tuttle: The Hawkmoths of North America, A Natural History Study of the Sphingidae of the United States and Canada . The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Washington, DC 2007, ISBN 978-0-9796633-0-7 .
