Hyles nicaea
| Hyles nicaea | ||||||||||||
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Hyles nicaea caterpillar , photographed in the village of Barg-e-Jahan , Iran |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hyles nicaea | ||||||||||||
| ( de Prunner , 1798) |
Hyles Nicaea is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae). The species is similar to the milkweed hawk ( Hyles euphorbiae ), but is closely related to the bedstraw hawk ( Hyles gallii ).
features
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 80 to 100 millimeters. They are very similar to the milkweed hawk and have almost the same wing pattern: The forewings have a light yellow-brown basic color. A sharply demarcated, wedge-shaped, dark brown band parallel to the outer edge covers a large part of the rear half of the wings, the outer edge is usually broadly colored in the basic color. The basic color is covered by a larger brown spot on the base of the wing and one to three other, more or less clearly recognizable, smaller spots along the front edge. The hind wings have a central pink area, which is broadly bordered with black. The base of the wings is colored black, the outer edge is ocher brown, on the inner edge there is a washed-out white spot that borders on the pink area. In contrast to the milkweed hawk, the pattern of Hyles nicaea is not very variable, only the colors vary in their strength. Pale yellowish colored animals with a weakly developed wing pattern or reddish colored individuals occur less frequently.
Hyles nicaea nicaea ♂
Hyles nicaea nicaea ♂ △
Hyles nicaea nicaea ♀
Hyles nicaea nicaea ♀ △
egg
The oval eggs are 1.6 by 1.4 millimeters in size and have a smooth, pale green shiny surface. They look very similar to those of the evening peacock ( Smerinthus ocellatus ). Shortly before hatching, the eggs change color from green to golden.
Caterpillar
The caterpillars are 100 to 120 millimeters long and their basic color varies from pale gray to black. After hatching, the caterpillars are about five millimeters long and have a strong canary-yellow color and a black-brown anal horn . When they eat the food plants, the animals soon turn apple green. This basic color is also retained in the second stage of the caterpillars, plus longitudinal rows with black spots. The anal horn and the ventral side turn black. In the third stage the color develops, which most animals retain until the end. They now have a pale gray basic color with two rows of black, yellow or red pithed eye spots on both sides , which run on the sides of the back and on the sides of the body. The anal horn remains black and there is no red topline. Occasionally there are more or less completely black colored caterpillars with rows of red eye-spots and yellow-brown spots on the sides of the body.
Doll
The pupa becomes 45 to 50 millimeters long and has a yellowish brown color with fine black lines in the area of the antennae and legs. Pupation takes place in a loosely spun, yellow cocoon between dead leaves and plant remains.
Occurrence and distribution
The nominate subspecies Hyles nicaea nicaea is distributed from southern Portugal and Spain through southern Europe to Turkey . They can also be found in the Balearic Islands and in southwestern Bulgaria . The species is also likely to be distributed in the south of France , which observations near Carcassonne suggest. The distribution of the species on the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands is, however, presumably not permanent in large parts, or although the species is widespread there, it occurs only rarely. In Italy, the species was only detected once at the Passo del Cane in Liguria , observations from Sardinia are not certain.
Hyles nicaea occurs with several subspecies, of which the subspecies castissima in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, the subspecies orientalis in southern Crimea and in western Transcaucasia , the subspecies sheljuzkoi from Lebanon and northern Israel to the west of Xinjiang in China and the subspecies lathyrus common in eastern Afghanistan , northwestern India and Xizang (Tibet).
In the west of the distribution area the occurrence of the species is limited to the coastal regions up to a height of around 500 meters, in the east the species is also found up to heights of 2000 to 3000 meters, in Turkey and Iran even higher. The species is rare and only locally distributed and does not appear in some areas of its distribution for years. It colonizes isolated, very sunny, well-drained limestone slopes with isolated growth of milkweed .
Hyles nicaea castissima ♀
Hyles nicaea castissima ♀ △
Way of life
Unlike the other species of the genus Hyles , Hyles nicaea has a very characteristic, fast and powerful flight that is reminiscent of that of the oleander hawk ( Daphnis nerii ). The moths can be attracted by artificial light sources at night.
The caterpillars sit on their food plants on the midrib of the underside of the leaf. Eventually, when they're bigger, they'll sit on the stems where they're well camouflaged. The overwintering takes place as a pupa.
Flight and caterpillar times
The moths of the nominate subspecies fly in one generation in June, occasionally an incomplete second generation occurs in August. The caterpillars are found in July and August, a few even in September.
The castissima subspecies flies in two generations in May / June and late July to August. Your caterpillars appear from June to September. The orientalis subspecies flies in one generation in June and July, or in the north-west of Transcaucasia only in June. The caterpillars are found in July and August, and occasionally in September. The subspecies sheljuzkoi flies in two to three generations in May and July / August, occasionally also in September.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on the herbaceous species of spurge ( Euphorbia ), in the south of France on Nice spurge ( Euphorbia nicaeensis ). Evidence of toadflax ( Linaria ) is incorrect.
The subspecies orientalis feeds on Euphorbia petrophila and Euphorbia seguieriana in the Crimea , the subspecies sheljuzkoi has been found on various Euphorbia species, and in Jordan on Euphorbia oxydonta .
Natural enemies
Many larvae fall parasitoidisch living Tachinidae (Tachinidae) victim; however, it is not known what species it is.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. AR Pittaway, accessed March 27, 2009 .
- ↑ a b c Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. AR Pittaway, accessed March 27, 2009 .
- ↑ a b Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. AR Pittaway, accessed March 27, 2009 .
- ↑ a b c Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic. AR Pittaway, accessed March 27, 2009 .
literature
- AR Pittaway: The Hawkmoths of the western Palaearctic . Harley Books, 1993, ISBN 0-946589-21-6
Web links
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Fauna Europaea (taxonomy, English)