Laothoe habeli
| Laothoe habeli | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Laothoe habeli | ||||||||||||
| Saldaitis , Ivinskis & Borth , 2010 |
Laothoe habeli is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae). The species is endemic to central China . All pre-imaginal stages are still unknown.
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 60 to 74 millimeters. The species looks very similar to the nominate subspecies of the poplar hawkmoth ( Laothoe populi ). The forewings are gray-brown and have a blue-gray band at the base of the postmedian and subterminal region. The wing veins are yellow, the discal patch is only indistinct. The wing pattern is not very vivid and resembles that of Laothoe amurensis amurensis . The outer edge of the forewing is indented in a jagged manner. The hind wings are the same color as the forewings, but show a large orange area at the base. However, this is less clearly developed in some individuals.
The genitals of the males are typical of the Laothoe genus . Compared to those of the poplar hawkmoth, however, the processes are the same length along the entire saccule and do not widen towards its tip. The saccus is pointed instead of blunt and the roughly 30 equal sized cornuti are divided into two roughly equal groups. The poplar hawk has two groups of 30 and 10 respectively.
Occurrence
The species is endemic to central China and inhabits deciduous forests. In Shaanxi you can find the species between 1500 and 1900 meters above sea level, in Sichuan it has only been found around 2400 meters so far.
Way of life
Very little is known about the way of life of this species. The males are strongly attracted by artificial light sources. The species flies in one generation a year, mainly in May and June. The flight time in Shaanxi is from April to July, in Sichuan in June.