Oak hawkers
| Oak hawkers | ||||||||||||
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Oak hawk ( Marumba quercus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Marumba quercus | ||||||||||||
| ( Denis & Schiffermüller , 1775) |
The oak hawk ( Marumba quercus ) is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 85 to 100 millimeters, in the females it can be up to 125 millimeters. The coloration is very variable: the basic color of the front wings varies from light ocher to dark gray-brown. The middle field is bordered by curved brown transverse lines that are broadly dark on the sides facing away from each other on the costal edge. Two more incomplete transverse lines are located in the root and in the border area; they are most evident at the costal edge and are lost towards the rear edge. In the tornus (inner corner) there is a dark brown point and next to it, on the inner wing edge, an equally colored, elongated spot. The outer edge is irregularly wavy and is reminiscent of the outline of oak leaves. The hind wings are brownish-yellow with an indistinct, red-brown spot that extends from the base to the midfield, and a dark brown post-disk band, which is only well developed on the tornus and disappears towards the front edge. There are color variants of the species in shades of gray, in brown with whitish-yellow transverse bands, completely without transverse bands or colored purple-brown at the base of the hind wing.
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♀
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The caterpillars are 65 to 80 millimeters long. They are blue-green or pale bluish in color, have fine, whitish-yellow tubercles and on the sides seven pale yellowish stripes that run obliquely from bottom to top, the second of which is clearly weaker in color than the others. The anal horn is bluish to greenish in color.
Synonyms
- Sphinx denisii Fuessly, 1779
- Marumba mesopotamica O. Bang-Haas, 1938
- Marumba schirasi O. Bang-Haas, 1938
Occurrence
The species occurs mainly in the Mediterranean area , east to Iran. The northern limit of distribution runs through Hungary and Lower Austria and also includes the southernmost Alpine valleys. In the hot areas of Spain, the species reaches heights of 1,500 meters. They can be found in light oak forests, usually in low population densities . Dry, sun-drenched and young forests on slopes where the soil is loose are preferred.
Way of life
The moths have only a rudimentary proboscis and can therefore not feed. During the day, they rest in the leaves of the trees and imitate dead leaves. In the evening and at night, they can be attracted by light sources.
Flight and caterpillar times
The moths fly in the northern parts of their range in one generation between June and September, in the south they fly in two generations in May and June and in August and September.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on oak ( Quercus ), such as English oak ( Quercus robur ), holm oak ( Quercus ilex ) and cork oak ( Quercus suber ), but prefer species with dry foliage.
development
The females lay about 100 eggs individually on the underside of solitary oaks in sunny locations. The oval eggs are 3.5 × 3 millimeters in size and colored pale green. Shortly before hatching, the initially light yellowish caterpillar can be seen through the egg shell. The caterpillar, which measures around eight to twelve millimeters after hatching, only eats the egg shell, if at all, and then looks for a suitable place for the first molt. It does this by attaching itself to the underside of the leaf, but only sheds its skin after about three days. The anal horn is initially oversized and has a yellowish base, otherwise an orange color. The tip is colored a little darker. Only after moulting do they gradually get their green color. After a further six weeks, the animals are fully grown and discolour reddish-brown before pupation . They then climb to the ground in the evening or in the morning hours. Pupation takes place at least ten centimeters deep in the ground.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Marumba quercus (Denis & Schiffermüller 1775). Fauna Europaea, Version 1.3, April 19, 2007 , accessed on August 9, 2007 .
- ^ A b c 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
- AR Pittaway: The Hawkmoths of the western Palaearctic . Harley Books 1993, ISBN 0-946589-21-6
- Heiko Bellmann : The new Kosmos butterfly guide. Butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 92.
