Lapara phaeobrachycerous
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Lapara phaeobrachycerous , male |
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| Lapara phaeobrachycerous | ||||||||||||
| Brou , 1994 |
Lapara phaeobrachycerous is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of the swarmers (Sphingidae). The species was in 1994 by Vernon Antoine Brou based on light catches northeast of Abita Springs in St. Tammany Parish , Louisiana firstdescribed . Most of the known material of this type comes from this area.
features
The moths have a fore wing length of 25 to 36 millimeters. As with the other species of the genus Lapara , the characteristics describing the species are more likely to be seen as tendencies. The fore wings are rather shorter and narrower than those of Lapara coniferarum . In addition, the white pollination of the scales , which is often found in Lapara coniferarum , is missing on the upper side of the forewings , which makes the animals appear darker. The antennae are shorter than those of Lapara coniferarum . The females are larger than the males and have a less pronounced pattern. The number of conspicuous wipes on the forewings is different in both sexes. The shape of the postmedial band on the forewings is variable, as it depends on the intensity of the black shading on its outer edge.
The caterpillar is known to date only from a single individual collected near Abita Springs . The following description of the characteristics of a fifth instar caterpillar by Tuttle is accordingly uncertain to apply to the entire species. Like the other representatives of the genus Lapara , neither an anal horn nor a noticeable hump is formed. The head is colored matt lime green. The caterpillar wears a light blue collar on the prothorax . The face is orange-light brownish in color and has an inverted, dark brown V that ends at the tip of the slightly pointed head. The body of the animals has a matt lime green base color and is irregularly dotted with a pale yellow. The thoracic legs are orange-light brownish, the abdominal legs have the basic body color, but have reddish-brown hook wreaths. Three pairs of longitudinal strips run across the body. The dorsal and subdorsal stripes are predominantly pale yellowish-white in front, but white on the last abdominal segments. The subspiracular stripes, on the other hand, are pale yellow in color only on the thoracic segments and white on the entire abdomen. The back has reddish brown spots on the last abdominal segments. The subspiracular stripes have a more or less reddish brown border both above and below. The spiracles are black with a showy orange, elliptical center. The latter feature clearly distinguishes the animals from the caterpillars of Lapara coniferarum , whose stigmas are pure black. However, whether this feature is typical of Lapara phaeobrachycerous has not been clarified due to the lack of further caterpillar finds. It is at least known beyond doubt through rearing that the caterpillars of Lapara coniferarum always only have black colored stigmas.
The smooth, almost black and elongated pupae of the genus Lapara cannot be differentiated at the species level.
Occurrence
The species is first described in the southeast counties of Louisiana and the southern counties of Mississippi . Presumably it is also common in northern Florida and north to Clemson in South Carolina. Since the first description, however, there has been insufficient further scientific knowledge about the actual extent of the distribution, so that this is not yet fully known.
The species probably inhabits deciduous forests with isolated pine vegetation.
Way of life
It is not known whether the moths suckle nectar from flowers. The time of day of the butterfly flight is also still unknown. The males often fly to artificial light sources, females are rarely found there.
Flight times
The moths fly from April to October, but they do not appear in significant numbers until May. The maximum of the flight time is in summer, which quickly decreases sharply at the end of September. It is believed that five generations fly a year.
development
Nothing is known about how the females lay eggs. It can be assumed, however, that this takes place individually on the needles of the host plants, as is the case with the closely related species. The pre-imaginal stages of the species are only known from a single caterpillar that was found on the peat pine ( Pinus palustris ).
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i 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 .
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 .
