Ceratomia sonorensis
| Ceratomia sonorensis | ||||||||||||
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Ceratomia sonorensis , male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ceratomia sonorensis | ||||||||||||
| Hodges , 1971 |
Ceratomia sonorensis is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of hawkmoths (Sphingidae). The relatively small range of the species is limited to mountainous regions in the southeast of the US state Arizona and in neighboring Mexico .
features
The moths have a fore wing length of 41 to 46 millimeters. The top of the forewings is dark gray with black stripes and spots and whitish spots. The hem is checked in black and white. The hind wings are dark brown on top and pale gray at the base. They also have two black, slanted lines. The species is most similar within the genus Ceratomia to Ceratomia undulosa . However, it has a grayish color, while Ceratomia undulosa has a green component in the basic color. In addition, this species has a fairly clearly drawn median band on the forewings, which Ceratomia sonorensis is missing. However, the two species do not occur in the same range. This is why Ceratomia sonorensis can most likely be confused with Manduca florestan , which, however, is much larger and more powerfully built. In addition, this species has a white submarginal line on the forewings, which Ceratomia sonorensis in turn lacks. However, it has a strong black collar on the thorax , which continues at the base of the forewing. The species is little variable in the patterning of the forewings, the white discal spot can be greatly reduced or absent.
The caterpillars are quite slim. They have seven pairs of white, sloping side stripes and a long, lightly grained anal horn . Their basic color varies from light blue-green to dark brown. The animals of the blue-green color variant are monochrome, the others are rather darker on the back than the area below the spiracles .
The pupa is dark red-brown to deep brown or almost black in color. It has a slightly rough surface. The short proboscis sheath is fused. Broad grooves in the spiracles can be seen on the second to fifth abdominal segments. The broad, fairly granular Kremaster has a double point.
Occurrence
The species is only distributed in the mountainous regions in the southeast of the US state Arizona and in neighboring Mexico. They are found in Arizona in the area of the Pena Blanca and Sycamore Canyon in the Atascosa Mountains , in Madera Canyon and Box Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains , around Patagonia in the Patagonia Mountains and around Cave Creek in the Chiricahua Mountains . River banks are settled in these areas. In Mexico the species was found in the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands in Sonora .
Way of life
Practically nothing is known about the moths' way of life. It is not known whether they can take in food. They come out early in the morning. The moths fly in one generation during the rains from mid-July to early August. The caterpillars feed on Arizona ash ( Fraxinus velutina ).
development
The females lay their eggs one by one on the host plants. The caterpillars live as solitary animals. They can be quite common in some years but rare in others. Nothing else is known about the way the caterpillars live in the wild.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h 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 .
- ↑ a b c Sphingidae of the Americas. Bill Oehlke, accessed December 28, 2011 .
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 .
