Laothoe austauti
| Laothoe austauti | ||||||||||||
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Laothoe austauti |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Laothoe austauti | ||||||||||||
| ( Staudinger , 1877) |
Laothoe austauti is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae). The species was named by Staudinger in honor of Jules Léon Austaut , but Staudinger made a mistake and described the species as Smerinthus austa n ti . He corrected this himself, which is why the specific epithet was writtenin publications from around 1880onwards. Due to the long and consistent use of this name, it isthe correct spelling for thespecific epithet according to Art. 33.3.1 ICZN . The species is closely related to the poplar hawk ( Laothoe populi ) and occasionally forms hybrids with it.
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 95 to 120 millimeters and are therefore larger than the similar nominate subspecies of the poplar swarm. They are very similar in color, but slightly paler than the similar species. However, as with this one, the same color shapes are formed. For example, one can often see the dark brown forma brunnea . The antennae of the males are more triangular and flattened in cross-section than in the similar species. In the genitals, the apical lobes of the saccule are more triangular. The uncus is correspondingly wider.
Eggs
The appearance of the eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the poplar hawk, but they are slightly larger.
Caterpillar
The caterpillars reach a body length of around 90 millimeters, making them significantly larger and stockier than the caterpillars of the poplar hawks. They come in a green and a bluish-white color variant. The caterpillars are about six millimeters long after hatching and are pale green. Its rough body is covered with fine yellow tubercles and spots. In addition, they have seven yellow, diagonal side stripes and an equally colored longitudinal line on each side of the back. Her head is rounded, the long anal horn is pale orange. Mostly the caterpillars are colored in this way up to the fourth instar, with the anal horn becoming increasingly stocky and the head becoming more pointed. The first and last sloping hard shoulder is stronger than the rest. Gradually, a yellow stripe forms on each of the cheeks. From the second stage, the dorso-lateral longitudinal stripes disappear. In the blue-white animals these patterns are paler and almost white in color. In the final stage, the stripes on the cheeks form an now orange, inverted “V” on the head. In between the head is colored shiny blue. Unlike the poplar hawk, the anal horn is mainly orange in color, only dorsally it is blue-green. It is shinier, longer, and has a more cylindrical cross-section.
Doll
The pupa is 45 to 55 millimeters long. It has a more reddish color than that of the poplar hawk, as it occurs in the linden hawk ( Mimas tiliae ), but its shape is similar to the pupa of the evening peacock ( Smerinthus ocellatus ).
Occurrence
The species is native to the Atlas Mountains and the coastal lowlands of Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia as well as the adjacent desert areas. It populates rivers and streams with poplar and willow vegetation, also in desert areas. The species can also be found in fields, plantations and in oases.
Way of life
Usually the species flies in two generations in April / May and July / August. A third generation is less likely to be trained. The caterpillars can be found from April to October, mostly high up in the trees and rarely near the ground. The caterpillars feed on poplars ( Populus ) and willows ( Salix ) and can also be found on most of the cultivated forms of these genera that have been introduced by humans into their area of distribution. Pupation takes place buried up to 10 centimeters deep in the ground. The pupa hibernates. The ore wasp species Ooencyrtus telenomicida has been identified as a parasitoid of the species.