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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths (Bombycoidea) » Sphinx Moths (Sphingidae) » Macroglossinae » Dilophonotini » Erinnyis » Lassaux's Sphinx - Hodges#7833 (Erinnyis lassauxii)

Species Erinnyis lassauxii - Lassaux's Sphinx - Hodges#7833

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Erinnyis lassauxii Lassaux's Sphinx - Erinnyis lassauxii Green Caterpillar - Erinnyis lassauxii Lassaux's Sphinx - Erinnyis lassauxii Unknown caterpillar - Erinnyis lassauxii Large hawk moth - Erinnyis lassauxii Pupa found on the Green milkweed vine (Matelea reticulata) - Erinnyis lassauxii Pupa found on the Green milkweed vine (Matelea reticulata) - Erinnyis lassauxii
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 Erinnyis
Species lassauxii (Lassaux's Sphinx - Hodges#7833)
Hodges Number
7833
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Erinnyis lassauxii (Boisduval)
Orig. Comb: Anceryx lassauxii Boisduval, 1859
Explanation of Names
Boisduval based his description on a specimen sent to him from Buenos Aires by a naturalist named Lassaux (his first name isn't recorded), who was in South America to collect botanical specimens. Boisduval mentions in a later work that Lassaux was a promising scientist who died young.
Size
Wingspan 80-105 mm.
Identification
Adult: forewing dark brown with gray streaks along inner margin, and gray patch at apex; hindwing dark brown with varying amounts of dark orange basally; abdomen with conspicuous black and white transverse bands
Larva: mature caterpillars have dark green body with 2 whitish dorsal rings behind head, and whitish dorsal strip along distal two-thirds of abdomen; apical horn thin, grayish, with bent tip.
Range
AZ, TX, FL / W. Indies / Mexico to South America - Map (MPG)
Season
The main flight period is August to December. (1)
Food
The larvae feed on Papaya (Carica papaya), Manihot esculenta in the spurge family [Euphorbiaceae], and various plants in the milkweed family [Asclepiadaceae]
adults feed on flower nectar.
Life Cycle
The mature larvae pupate in cocoons spun on the ground; multiple generations year-round in the tropics.
Life cycle images:
larva; pupa; adult
See Also
Alope Sphinx (Erinnyis alope) forewing lacks pale gray patch at apex
Ello Sphinx (E. ello) forewing is paler and lacks pale gray patch at apex
Erinnyis oenotrus and Erinnyis crameri abdomen lacks black and white bands
Print References
Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 3rd ser., v.7: Bulletin entomologique, p.CLVII (157) - Boisduval's original description of the species.
Internet References
Moth Photographers Group - MPG (1)
Bill Oehlke's website
Butterflies and Moths of North America - BAMONA (2)
FUNET - Markku Savela
live larva images - Dan Janzen, U. of Pennsylvania
Lepidoptera of the French Antilles- Pierre Zagatti
Works Cited
1.North American Moth Photographers Group
2.Butterflies of North America
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 11 April, 2007 - 3:50pm
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Maury Heiman, Chris Grinter, marcie oconnor
Last updated 20 November, 2016 - 3:43pm

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