Smerinthus saliceti
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Smerinthus saliceti |
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| Smerinthus saliceti | ||||||||||||
| Boisduval , 1875 |
Smerinthus saliceti is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae).
features
butterfly
The moths have a fore wing length of 31 to 42 millimeters. They have the classic coloring for butterflies of the genus Smerinthus and look very similar to Smerinthus cerisyi . This species has a round or diamond-shaped, dark point in the middle of the blue eye-spot on the hind wings, whereas the eye-spot in Smerinthus saliceti is divided by black bands that extend to the edge of the eye-spot. The basic color of Smerinthus saliceti is also usually lighter than that of Smerinthus cerisyi . On the basis of these two differences, however, the two types cannot always be differentiated with sufficient certainty. An unambiguous determination is possible by analyzing the hemolymph or genital morphological examination. In the males of Smerinthus saliceti the sacculus is well developed, whereas in Smerinthus cerisyi it is stunted.
At least the butterflies from southeast Arizona surprisingly show hardly any variability in their coloration. So far, however, too little material has been examined from other regions to be able to make a more well-founded statement about the degree of variability.
Caterpillar
In the last stage, the caterpillars are very similar to those of Smerinthus cerisyi , but regularly differ on the basis of two features: In Smerinthus saliceti , the first of the five lateral stripes is very pale and weakly developed compared to the similar species and the subdorsal line extends over the entire length of the body clearly merges with the last hard shoulder.
Doll
The pupa can not be distinguished from that of Smerinthus cerisyi .
Occurrence
So far, the species has been found mainly in the mountainous regions of southeastern Arizona. But it also occurs in Imperial and Riverside Counties in southern California and in Brewster and Jeff Davis Counties in western Texas. Evidence from New Mexico has not yet been found, but it is very likely there in Hidalgo County on the border with Arizona in the future.
The animals only inhabit rivers and canyons in the mountainous regions of the southern United States, with willow vegetation that thrives with seasonal rains. If one considers the distribution of Smerinthus saliceti and Smerinthus cerisyi , both a sympatric species and two separately developing species would be supported. The former species has been found from central regions, the latter from larger regions.
Way of life
Little is known about the flight activity of the moths. Hodges suspected that the species flies in the Chiricahua Mountains ( Cochise County in the extreme south of Arizona) for two generations per year, since they occur there from mid-April to early May and from early July to early September. In the rest of Arizona there appears to be only one generation that flies during the summer rainy season. What causes this discrepancy is unclear.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars have been identified at least on Salix gooddingii .
development
Pupation takes place in a chamber in the ground just below the surface.
Taxonomy and systematics
Smerinthus saliceti was considered a synonym for Smerinthus cerisyi until 1971, when Hodges raised it back to its independent species status . He justified this with the differences between the sacculus and gnathos in the genitals of the males. At that time the way of life of Smerinthus saliceti was considered unknown. Although this has changed in the meantime, it is still in the room that Smerinthus saliceti is not an independent species. From Tuttle's point of view, however, this fact requires further investigations so that the species rank seems to be justified, at least for the time being.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ WP Stephen: hemolymph protein and Their Use in Taxonomic Studies. 1958, pp. 395-400.
- ^ WP Stephen, AL Steinhauer: Sexual and developmental differences in insect blood proteins. In: Physiological Zoology , Vol. 30, No. 2, April 1957, pp. 114-120.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j 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 , pp. 118f.
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 .
