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Species Deilephila elpenor - Elephant Hawk Moth - Hodges#7894.1

Look who's at my doorstep :) - Deilephila elpenor

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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 Macroglossini

Genus Deilephila

Species elpenor (Elephant Hawk Moth - Hodges#7894.1)

Hodges Number

7894.1

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Deilephila elpenor (Linnaeus)

Orig. Comb: Sphinx elpenor Linnaeus, 1758

Syn: Choerocampa elpenor (Linnaeus)

* phylogenetic sequence #229475

Explanation of Names

Specific epithet elpenor is from Elpenor of Greek mythology, who was changed by Circe into a hog. The caterpillar, with its neck extended, is said to resemble a hog's snout. (1), (2)

Common name Elephant Hawk Moth is also a reference to the caterpillar, in this case resembling an elephant's trunk.

Numbers

Sole member of this genus in North America.

Size

Wingspan 7 cm.

Range

so. British Columbia, Canada - Map / Eurasia, North Africa, Japan.

Season

June-Aug (MPG, BG data)

Food

Larvae on Chamaenerion, Clarkia, Galium, Calla, Impatiens.

Life Cycle

Species accounts by Powell and Opler (2009) (3) and Tuttle (2007) (4)

Remarks

Reportedly introduced to British Columbia ca. 1995.

Internet References

The Sphingidae of British Columbia - Bill Oehlke

EOL

Moth Photographers Group - MPG

Works Cited

1.	An accentuated list of the British Lepidoptera, with hints on the derivation of the names. Anonymous. 1858. The Entomological Societies of Oxford and Cambridge.

2.	Dictionary of natural history terms with their derivations, including the various orders, genera, and species. David H. McNicoll. 1863. Lovell Reeve & Company.

3.	Moths of Western North America Powell and Opler. 2009. UC Press.

4.	The Hawk Moths of North America, A Natural History Study of the Sphingidae of the United States and Canada. James P Tuttle. 2007. The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation Inc.

Contributed by Mike Quinn on 28 July, 2011 - 1:56am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Randy Hardy
Last updated 12 July, 2017 - 4:31pm

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