Achemon sphinx

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Eumorpha
Species:
E. achemon
Binomial name
Eumorpha achemon
(Drury, 1773)[1]
Synonyms
  • Sphinx achemon Drury, 1773
  • Sphinx crantor Cramer, 1777
  • Pholus achemon trigon Gehlen, 1926

Eumorpha achemon, the Achemon sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.

Distribution

It is native to North America, where it is known from most of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico.[2] It is rare or absent in the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Southeastern United States except Florida.[3]

Description

The wingspan is 87–97 mm. It can be distinguished from all other Eumorpha species by the hindwing upperside being almost uniformly pale pink from the base to the diffuse, dark brown submarginal band.

Larvae are of three forms: light green, reddish orange, and tan to brown.

Biology

Adults are on wing from June to August in one generation in the northern part of the range. There are two generations with adults on wing from May to August in the south. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Lonicera japonica, Petunia × atkinsiana, Philadelphus coronarius, and Phlox species. It is one of five[4] main pollinators of the rare orchid Platanthera praeclara.[3]

They are known to feed on Parthenocissus quinquefolia and Ampelopsis species. They are often found on wild and cultivated Vitaceae, including grapes, and they can sometimes be found in vineyards feeding on the leaves.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2011-10-26.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ↑ "Eumorpha achemon". Sphingidae of the Americas. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  3. 1 2 3 Eumorpha achemon. NatureServe. 2012.
  4. ↑ Fox, Kristina; Vitt, Pati; Anderson, Kirk; Fauske, Gerald; Travers, Steven; Vik, Dean; Harris, Marion O. (2013-11-01). "Pollination of a threatened orchid by an introduced hawk moth species in the tallgrass prairie of North America". Biological Conservation. 167: 316–324. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2013.08.026. ISSN 0006-3207.


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