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Species Enyo lugubris - Mournful Sphinx - Hodges#7851

Mournful Sphinx - Enyo lugubris Mournful Sphinx or Virginia Creeper - Enyo lugubris hump backed moth - Enyo lugubris Moth - Enyo lugubris weird brown moth - Enyo lugubris MothSphinxMournful_Enyo_lugubris - Enyo lugubris Sphinx Moth - Enyo lugubris Enyo lugubris
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Bombycoidea (Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths)
Family Sphingidae (Sphinx Moths)
Subfamily Macroglossinae
Tribe Dilophonotini
Genus Enyo
Species lugubris (Mournful Sphinx - Hodges#7851)
Hodges Number
7851
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
First described in 1771 by Linnaeus as Sphinx lugubris
Enyo lugubris
Phylogenetic sequence #228350
Explanation of Names
From Latin root lugubr sad, gloomy (1). "Mournful Sphinx" is from the Latin name, and both presumably refer to the somber colors (or drooping posture?) of this moth.
Size
Wingspan 5-6 cm
Identification
Odd-shaped sphinx with almost straight median line, prominent round reniform spot. Coloration brown to greenish-brown. There is a distinctive bend in the median line just above the reniform spot, which differentiates it from E. ocypete. Trailing edge of forewing somewhat scalloped. Compare Half-blind Sphinx (Perigonia lusca) and Enyo ocypete.
Range
Southern North America into neotropics
Habitat
Forests, edges, presumably.
Season
All year in tropics, August-November northward.
Food
Adults take nectar?
Life Cycle
Larvae feed on grape family plants, Vitus, Ampelopsis, and Cissus species (Moths of North America). Pupation occurs in a shallow burrow in the soil. Adults fly during the day, and apparently at night, because they are attracted to lights.
Remarks
Flies in cold weather (pers. obs. P Coin). Seems to be found in the coastal plain, and in particular, the outer coastal plain and barrier islands.
Print References
Borror, entry for lugubr (1).
Covell, p. 40, plate 5 #12 (2)
Holland p. 61, plate 11 #17 (Epistor lugubris) (3)
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - map of some collection points and photos including larvae.
Bill Oehlke's species page.
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) - collection map and photos of pinned adults.
Mantissa plantarum altera, p.538    Linnaeus' original description of the species
Works Cited
1.Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms
Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.
2.Peterson Field Guides: Eastern Moths
Charles V. Covell. 1984. Houghton Mifflin Company.
3.The Moth Book
W.J. Holland. 1968. Dover.