Sphinx kalmiae
| Sphinx kalmiae | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sphinx kalmiae |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sphinx kalmiae | ||||||||||||
| JE Smith , 1797 |
Sphinx Kalmiae is a butterfly ( moth ) from the family of moth (Sphingidae). The species was named after one of its host plants, Kalmia latifolia . Sphinx kalmiae colonizes large parts of eastern North America.
features
The moths have a fore wing length of 42 to 48 millimeters. The forewings are mainly light brown. They lack the thin black lines that appear in many species in the Sphinx genus . The inner edge is dark brown, bordered almost black and the white submarginal line is bordered in black. These characteristics make the species unmistakable. In the extreme north of the distribution area, there are butterflies with much darker forewing coloring with more gray components. In general, the dark scales of the forewing tip are variable.
The track how many species of the genus Sphinx seven pairs oblique shoulder. In Sphinx kalmiae, these are bright yellow and have a shiny black border towards the back. The fleshy part of the belly legs is also black. The anal horn is blue and covered with black bumps. These features are each characteristic of the easily identifiable species.
Male dorsal view
Male △ anterior view
Female dorsal view
Female △ anterior view
Doll
The doll is red-brown and has a smooth surface. The trunk sheath is free and lies against the body. The short kremaster is very rough and ends in a double point.
Occurrence
Sphinx kalmiae colonizes large parts of eastern North America. The species has been found in all states east of the Great Plains in the USA . The locality of the type is remarkably like that of Sphinx drupiferarum in Georgia, where these two species occur only very rarely. In the south, the species has been recorded as far as Torreya State Park in northwest Florida, although it generally only occurs locally in the south. Further north, the species is common from the Ohio River Valley and the Appalachian Mountains to the upper Midwest and New England. In Canada, Sphinx kalmiae occurs in Newfoundland, in the maritime provinces and in southern Québec, Ontario and Manitoba. There is evidence of the species in the extreme southeast of Saskatchewan.
Sphinx kalmiae only inhabits deciduous forests. The species is pushed back wherever forestry is intensively pursued.
Way of life
The moths are detected when visiting flowers on different colored iris ( Iris versicolor ), foxgloves ( digitalis ), Saponaria officinalis , tobacco ( Nicotiana ) and Lonicera japonica . They fly to light sources and butterfly bait at night .
Flight and caterpillar times
The moths fly in the north of their distribution from late May to August. It is not known whether this is a long-standing first generation or a partial second generation. In the south, the species flies in more than one generation from April to September.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on a variety of different plant species, but prefer certain species locally. They are most often found on ash trees ( Fraxinus ) such as black ash ( Fraxinus nigra ), white ash ( Fraxinus americana ) and red ash ( Fraxinus pennsylvanica ), less often on other olive trees (Oleaceae) such as common lilac ( Syringa vulgaris ), Privet ( Ligustrum ) and Chionanthus virginicus . They are also found on birches ( Betula ) and Kalmia latifolia from the laurel rose genus ( Kalmia ).
development
The females lay their eggs one by one, but it is not uncommon to find several caterpillars on the same food plant. Pupation takes place in a chamber in the ground.
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sphingidae of the Americas. Bill Oehlke, accessed December 29, 2011 .
- ↑ 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 .
