Lapara
| Lapara | ||||||||||
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Preparation of Lapara bombycoides |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Lapara | ||||||||||
| Walker , 1856 |
Lapara is a genus within the butterfly family of swarmers (Sphingidae).
features
The moths are matt gray to gray-brown. Their forewings are spotted with different degrees of black, brown and white. As with Lapara coniferarum, the hind wings have no pattern or are patterned at most indistinctly as with most individuals of Lapara bombycoides . The abdomen of the moth is either largely monochrome or has oblique, dark intersegmental bands. The proboscis is short and very weak, but functional.
In contrast to all other hawk species found in North America, the caterpillars of Lapara species lack the anal horn in all stages . When fully grown, the caterpillars have a green base color and have isolated secondary bristles. On each side of your body there is a longitudinal stripe on the back (dorsal), on both sides of the back (subdorsal) and below the spiracles (subspiracular). These stripes are white to yellowish and serve as camouflage when the caterpillars sit on the needles of the food plants. The caterpillars also have spots in different red-brown tones on their backs and along the subdorsal longitudinal stripes. The color and its distribution not only vary between species, but also within a species between individuals or populations. The head of younger caterpillars is pointed upwards and has numerous small spines. In the last stage of the caterpillar, the head capsule is only slightly triangular and has a smooth surface. The caterpillar shows an inverted "V" -shaped, dark brown mark on the face. The differentiation of the species in the caterpillar stage is very difficult.
The dolls cannot be distinguished from one another. They are smooth, almost black and elongated. The cremaster is broad and slightly teardrop-shaped at the base, but is drawn out into a thin shaft that ends with a point.
Occurrence and way of life
All species of the genus occur in Canada and the United States of America. The caterpillars feed on pines ( Pinus ).
Systematics
There are four known species of the genus. The taxonomic position of the species is, however, partly unclear. Kitching & Cadiou (2000) regard Lapara halicarnie as a separate species, whereas Tuttle does not follow this separation, but regards these animals as larger and less patterned individuals of Lapara coniferarum .
- Lapara bombycoides Walker, 1856
- Lapara coniferarum (JE Smith, 1797)
- Lapara halicarnie (Strecker, 1880)
- Lapara phaeobrachycerous Brou, 1994
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f James P. Tuttle: The Hawkmoths of North America, A Natural History Study of the Sphingidae of the United States and Canada The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Washington, DC 2007, ISBN 978-0-9796633-0 -7 .
- ^ A b Ian J. Kitching, Jean-Marie Cadiou: Hawkmoths of the World. An Annotated and Illustrated Revisionary Checklist (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Cornell University Press, New York 2000, ISBN 0-8014-3734-2
literature
- James P. Tuttle: The Hawkmoths of North America, A Natural History Study of the Sphingidae of the United States and Canada. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation, Washington, DC 2007, ISBN 978-0-9796633-0-7 .
