Hyles see i
| Hyles see i | ||||||||||||
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Hyles behold , male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hyles see i | ||||||||||||
| ( Püngeler , 1903) |
Hyles siehei is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae). Ataxonoriginally described as a subspecies of Hyles seei is now regarded as a separate species, Hyles centralasiae .
features
butterfly
The moths have a wingspan of 65 to 70 millimeters. They look similar to Hyles centralasiae and have an olive green spot in the middle and basal on the light transverse band on the forewings. However, the central spot is very much receded and can also be missing. Most butterflies also have a clearly recognizable pink tinge in the coloration of both pairs of wings.
At 1.0 by 1.3 millimeters in size, the eggs are rather spherical and initially blue-green, later yellowish in color. The caterpillars are 70 to 80 millimeters long. They appear in a brownish-gray, cream-colored, greenish-olive or black basic color. During development they resemble those of Hyles centralasiae in their appearance . In the last stage, most of the caterpillars are pale brownish gray with a pink tint on the back. On each segment they have a single, very large dorso-lateral eye spot that is pure white in color and has a thick black border. The spiracles are also white, but outlined in red. The caterpillars are not spotted white and do not have a ventro-lateral longitudinal stripe. In caterpillars with a black base color, the eye spots can be very much regressed or even absent. The pupa is 40 to 50 millimeters long and resembles that of Hyles euphorbiae , but is paler in color.
Occurrence
The species is distributed in Turkey from the east of the Taurus Mountains and the Bolkar Mountains in the south to north to Ankara and in the southeast to Zaptal ( Hakkâri province ). The species may also occur south of the Zāgros Mountains in Iran as far as the province of Kerman , where at least one butterfly that looked similar to see was observed in 2007 . Other finds reported in the literature from Armenia, northern Syria and Iraq and northwestern Iran are doubtful.
The species, which is apparently restricted to the higher elevations of Anatolia, inhabits similar habitats as Hyles centralasiae , for example stony steppes with abundant vegetation of herbaceous plants.
Way of life
As far as is known, the moths fly in one generation per year from late May to June, the caterpillars appear in June and July. The females lay their eggs indiscriminately on the seeds and flower heads of the food plants, with up to 15 per plant. The caterpillars hatch after five to six days. They eat mostly open sitting on the flowers and ovules of the plants. Phases of hasty eating alternate with quiet sitting in the sun. They feed mainly on the seeds and flowers of Affodill ( Asphodelus ) and Junkerlilien ( Asphodeline ). The leaves of the plants are very rarely eaten. They can also be seen less frequently when they eat the seeds and flowers of steppe candles ( Eremurus ) such as Eremurus himalaicus , Eremurus olgae , Eremurus robustus , Eremurus krudica or Eremurus stenophyllus . When rearing them, they can also be fed with steppe candles from gardening and with torch lilies ( Kniphofia ). The pupa is often several years before the butterfly hatches. Although no parasitoids are known to infect the species, Pittaway mentions the observation of the hatching of a fly species from a pupa, in which he suspects Masicera sphingivora .
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f HYLES SEEI (Püngeler, 1903). AR Pittaway: Sphingidae of the Western Palaearctic, accessed December 28, 2014 .
