Erinnyis obscura
Encyclopedia
The Obscure Sphinx is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It lives from the northern part of South America
up to the central United States
.
The wingspan
is 56-65 mm. Females have almost uniformly grey forewings with black markings on the basal half and near the center of the costa, although some are nearly all black. The upperside of the male forewing is pale gray with black markings and a black line in the center running from the base to about three-fourths of the wing length. In both sexes, the hindwing upperside is orange with a narrow black border.
Adults are on wing year round in the tropics, southern Florida and southern Texas.
The caterpillar
s feed on various members of the Apocynaceae
family, including Rauvolfia ligustrina, Rauvolfia tetraphylla
, *Stemmadenia obovata, Philibertia, Cynanchum
and Carica papaya as well as Asclepiadaceae
and spurge
species, including Blepharodon mucronatum, White vine (Sarcostemma clausum) and Morrenia odorata
.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
family. It lives from the northern part of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
up to the central United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 56-65 mm. Females have almost uniformly grey forewings with black markings on the basal half and near the center of the costa, although some are nearly all black. The upperside of the male forewing is pale gray with black markings and a black line in the center running from the base to about three-fourths of the wing length. In both sexes, the hindwing upperside is orange with a narrow black border.
Adults are on wing year round in the tropics, southern Florida and southern Texas.
The caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s feed on various members of the Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
family, including Rauvolfia ligustrina, Rauvolfia tetraphylla
Rauvolfia tetraphylla
Rauvolfia tetraphylla is a plant in the Apocynaceae family, growing as a bush or small tree. It is commonly known as the devil-pepper or Be still tree. The plant is native to the tropical Americas...
, *Stemmadenia obovata, Philibertia, Cynanchum
Cynanchum
Cynanchum is a genus of about 300 species including some swallowworts, belonging to the family Apocynaceae. The taxon name comes from Greek kynos and anchein , referring to the toxicity of these plants. Hence the common name for several species is dog-strangling vine...
and Carica papaya as well as Asclepiadaceae
Asclepiadaceae
According to APG II, the Asclepiadaceae is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily in the Apocynaceae...
and spurge
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....
species, including Blepharodon mucronatum, White vine (Sarcostemma clausum) and Morrenia odorata
Morrenia odorata
Morrenia odorata is an ornamental plant in the Apocynaceae family, which is native to Brazil. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.-External links:**...
.
Subspecies
- Erinnyis obscura obscura (tropical and subtropical lowlands from Uruguay west to Bolivia and Argentina and north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to Florida, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Strays recorded up to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota and Pennsylvania)
- Erinnyis obscura conformis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Galapagos Islands)
- Erinnyis obscura socorroensis Clark, 1926 (Revillagigedo Islands)