Hyles lineata
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Hyles lineata |
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| ( Fabricius , 1775) |
Hyles lineata , also known as the (New World) swarm of lines, is a butterfly ( moth ) fromthe swarm family (Sphingidae).
description
The moths reach a wingspan of 63 to 90 millimeters, with the females being on average slightly larger than the males. The antennae are dark olive brown with a white tip. The head and back are olive-brown with white side stripes and white-edged tegulae . The Tegulae also have a central white stripe (distinguishing feature from Hyles livornica !). The olive-brown abdomen shows black and white segment incisions ; the first two segments have large black and white side spots. The forewings are olive-brown with a lighter front edge and a weakly wavy longitudinal stripe, which begins on the rear edge near the wing root as a broad white stripe, then becomes yellowish and gradually narrows to the apex . The narrow fringe is gray to brownish-gray. The whitish to yellowish veins contrast strikingly with the basic color (German name!). The punctiform discal spot has a whitish border. The hind wings are pink with a black base and a consistently wide black band, the fringes are white.
Female - dorsal view
Female - △ Anterior view
Similar species
- Hyles dahlii (Geyer, 1827)
- Spurge Hawk , Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Bedstraw hawk , Hyles gallii (Rottemburg, 1775)
- Line swarmers , Hyles livornica (Esper, 1779)
- Hyles tithymali (Boisduval, 1834)
habitat
Hyles lineata inhabits a wide variety of open land habitats, from semi-deserts and prairies to bush forests to ruderal areas, vineyards and gardens.
development
The moths occur in several generations from February to November and are mainly active at dusk and at dawn, somewhat less during the night and during the day. At night they like to fly to light sources.
food
The caterpillars feed on a variety of plants, including willowherb ( Epilobium ), evening primrose ( Oenothera ), wonder flowers ( Mirabilis ), fuchsias ( Fuchsia ), grapevines ( Vitis vinifera ), tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), purslane ( Portulaca ), hayweeds ( Ludwigia) ), Gaura ( Gaura lindheimeri ) Boerhavia caribaea and even on apple tree ( Malus ), elm ( Ulmus ) and others.
distribution
Hyles lineata is widespread in South, Central and North America including the Caribbean, whereby it only reaches the northernmost areas (southern Canada) as immigrants ( migratory butterflies ).
Systematics
In the past, Hyles lineata was thought to be specific to the ancient Hyles livornica . This is why it can be found in older literature under the name Hyles lineata (or Celerio lineata ). It was not until the late 20th century that people realized that they were two different species. Since both species are led under the German name "Linienschwärmer", it would make sense to differentiate them by name, e.g. B. as "Newworldly Swarmers of Lines" and "Old Worlds Swarmers of Lines".
