Laothoe philerema
| Laothoe philerema | ||||||||||||
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Laothoe philerema , male |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Laothoe philerema | ||||||||||||
| ( Djakonov , 1923) |
Laothoe philerema is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae). It was assumed that the species is a subspecies of Laothoe amurensis or at least closely related to this species, since both species lack the rust-red spots on the hind wings. The clearly different genital structure contradicts this and rather suggests a relationship with the poplar hawkmoth ( Laothoe populi ).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 80 to 120 millimeters. They look very pale, scarcely patterned poplar swarms, but with the rust-red spot on the hind wings missing or at most stunted. The males have unusually long antennae that are half as long as the fore wings. The dark to light brown forewings have a clearly defined light band on the basal half of the wing (antemedial). On them there is a black spot in the outer transverse ligament between the wing veins M2 and M3. In the male genitalia the two apical processes of the saccule are even more receded than in Laothoe populi populeti , but they have a similar profile. The aedeagus is slimmer, less kinked and has fewer and smaller cornuti on the edge of the vesica .
Pre-imaginal stages
The eggs measure an average of 2.42 millimeters in diameter and are otherwise similar to those of the poplar hawk. The caterpillars are 65 to 75 millimeters long. Otherwise they are currently blank, as is the doll .
Occurrence
The species occurs only in eastern Turkmenistan , southern Uzbekistan , Tajikistan and eastern Afghanistan . It is believed that it occurs in northwest China, northern Pakistan, as well as most of the rest of the Tian Shan . The habitats of the species are so far little known; in the Hindu Kush and Pamir it inhabits river valleys and lake shores. The species occurs around Kabul between 1800 and 2500 meters above sea level.
Way of life
The way of life of the species is unknown. It flies in at least two, maybe three generations a year. Adults were caught in late April and from late June to August. The two generations differ externally: Individuals of the first generation are smaller, darker and more contrasting in color.
The caterpillars feed on poplar species from the Turanga subgenus . Danner, Eitschberger & Surholt (1998), on the other hand, suspect that Populus pruinosa is the only host plant. The animals are found in the vicinity of larger populations of these plants and only rarely on individual trees. The overwintering probably takes place as a pupa. There are no known parasitoids that infect the species.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic. AR Pittaway, accessed March 21, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c d Fritz Danner, Ulf Eitschberger, Bernhard Surholt: The enthusiasts of the western Palearctic . In: Herbipolania, series of books on lepidopterology . 1st edition. tape 4/1 . Dr. Ulf Eitschberger, Marktleuthen 1998, ISBN 3-923807-03-1 , p. 122 ff .
