Species Smerinthus ophthalmica - Hodges#7822.1

7822.1

Smerinthus ophthalmica Boisduval, 1855

Smerinthus ophthalmica Boisduval, 1855, formerly a synonym of Smerinthus cerisyi, is raised to full species status in Pohl et al. (2010), ZooKeys, 38: 388.

FWL ≈ 34–47mm (a)

Adult: Very similar to Smerinthus cerisyi, except males of S. ophthalmica have narrower antennal pectinations, smoother FW outer margin, more sharply angled AM, smoother PM, less contrasting paler veins, and a less conspicuous ST. Females cannot be reliably distinguished without DNA sequencing.

Larva: The larva is granulose green with yellow subdorsal lines and yellow lateral stripes, a short caudal horn. (a)

Smerinthus ophthalmica occurs from southern British Columbia and southern Alberta south to near the border with Mexico. It is replaced by S. cerisyi to the east and north, and S. saleceti in the southern-most Rocky Mountains and southern Arizona. (a)

Larvae feed on Salicaceae including willows (Salix spp.), cottonwoods (Populus spp.), and quaking aspen (P. tremuloides). (a)

"The most cogent argument for recognizing this species as distinct from the more eastern S. cerisyi was recently put forth by Schmidt & Anweiler (2010), although they note that they were not the first to make this assertion. Their argument is based on observations across a broad zone of contact of these moths in Alberta, noting consistent differences in the superficial appearances of the moths, the presence of brown forms in S. ophthalmica but not in S. cerisyi, slight structural differences in the wing margins and antennae, and a 3.5% difference in the sequence of the cox1 gene of their mitochondrial DNA." (a)

One-eyed Sphinx (Smerinthus cerisyi)

Boisduval, J.B., 1875. Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France, 3: 32.

Kitching, I.J., 2019. Sphingidae Taxonomic Inventory, species page

Pohl, G.R., G.G. Anweiler, B.C. Schmidt, & N.G. Kondla, 2010. An annotated list of the Lepidoptera of Alberta, Canada. ZooKeys, 38: 1-549.

Moth Photographers Group (MPG) (1)

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) (2)

Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) - BIN: AAA1636

Pacific Northwest Moths – detailed description & images of pinned adults