Deilephila rivularis
| Deilephila rivularis | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deilephila rivularis , male |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Deilephila rivularis | ||||||||||||
| ( Boisduval , [1875]) |
Deilephila rivularis is a butterfly ( moth ) fromthe swarm family (Sphingidae). The species was considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Deilephila elpenor . In the meantime, however, the species status is considered sufficiently proven.
features
The moths have a wingspan of 64 to 82 millimeters. They look very similar to Deilephila elpenor , but with them the pink-red areas of the body and the wings are coated with cinnamon. The reddish coloring is much less strong, especially on the wings, than in the similar species. The marginal area of the hind wings is wide. In the male genitalia, the process of the sacculi is curved like a claw and severely sclerotized . The front of the aedeagus has a strikingly strong, subapical, sloping, serrated ridge, each more pronounced than in Deilephila elpenor . The individual cornutus is also more pronounced.
The pre-imaginal stages have the same appearance as in Deilephila elpenor .
Occurrence and way of life
The species occurs in eastern Afghanistan in the Safēd Kōh mountains in Kotkai at an altitude of 2350 meters and in central Afghanistan. It also occurs in Pakistan south to Karachi and in north India east to Dehra Dun , Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. They can be found at altitudes between 2000 and 4000 meters. In the literature there is also alleged evidence of Sikkim , which is certainly flawed, although even a specimen in the Natural History Museum in London is marked with this find region.
In India, the caterpillars feed on Arisaema and jumping herbs ( Impatiens ), the moths fly in two generations a year at least in February and March and from the end of June to July. Nothing is known about the other way of life of the species and any parasitoids .
