Pseudosphinx tetrio
| Tetrio Sphinx | |
|---|---|
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| Pseudosphinx tetrio, adult | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Pseudosphinx |
| Species: | P. tetrio |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudosphinx tetrio (Linnaeus, 1771)[1] |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Tetrio sphinx (Pseudosphinx tetrio) is a moth in the family Sphingidae. It ranges from Brazil in South America to the southern United States. This moth has been recorded as far north as Nebraska and Pennsylvania, but in the United States it can only breed in Florida and sometimes Texas.[2]
The wingspan is 127-140 mm. Males are darker than females, especially in the postmedian area of the forewing upperside.
Adults fly all year round in the tropics. There are several generations with adults on wing from March to September in Florida. A population is established on the island of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean, and this species is very common on every island in the Caribbean Sea. Larvae can be found during most of the year but cannot be collected in the winter months because the main host plants (Plumeria species) are xerophytes and lose their leaves during the dry season.
The larvae feed on various plants, including Allamanda cathartica, Plumieria rubra, Plumeria cujete and Himatanthus species. In all known populations in the United States, larvae feed on ornamental Frangipani (Plumeria rubra) trees only.
The caterpillar is velvety black with yellow rings and an orange head; it is thought[who?] to mimic a coral snake. The larvae often bite into the stem just below the base of a leaf, causing the puncture to "bleed" a sticky white substance, thus not ingesting too much latex. However, latex in moderate amounts helps to make the caterpillar distasteful and toxic to birds or other predators.
[edit] References
- ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. http://www.cate-sphingidae.org/taxonomy/Pseudosphinx/tetrio.html. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ "Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/ptetrio.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
[edit] External links
- Tetrio Sphinx Butterflies and Moths of North America
- tetrio sphinx on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
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