Manduca blackburni

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Manduca
Species:
M. blackburni
Binomial name
Manduca blackburni
(Butler, 1880)[3]
Synonyms
  • Protoparce blackburni Butler, 1880
  • Phlegethontius blackburnii
  • Protoparce quinquemaculatus blackburni

Manduca blackburni, the Hawaiian tomato hornworm, Hawaiian tobacco hornworm or Blackburn's sphinx moth, is a moth in the family Sphingidae.

Taxonomy

Manduca blackburni is closely related to the tomato hornworm (M. quinquemaculata), which it also physically resembles. The species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880.

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic to Hawaii. Previously known from all of the main islands, this rare moth is now limited to Maui, the Big Island, and Kahoʻolawe.[4] It is found in coastal mesic and dry forests at elevations from sea level to 5,000 ft (1,500 m).

Diet and ecology

Larvae feed on plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, especially native ʻaiea (Nothocestrum spp.), but also non-native tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), tree tobacco (N. glauca), jimson weed (Datura stramonium), and eggplant (Solanum melongena). The adult feeds on nectar from native plants such as koali ʻawa (Ipomoea indica) and maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana).[5]

Conservation

It was listed as an endangered species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000, making it the first Hawaiian insect to receive such a status.[2][6] NatureServe considers the insect to be Critically Imperiled.

References

  1. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. 1 2 "Blackburn's Sphinx Moth First Hawaiian Insect Added to Endangered Species List" (Press release). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2000-02-01.
  3. ↑ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  4. ↑ Black, Scott Hoffman. "Moths: Blackburn's sphinx moth (Manduca blackburni)". The Xerces Society. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  5. ↑ "Blackburn's Sphinx Moth" (PDF). Terrestrial Insects. State of Hawaiʻi. 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  6. ↑ Draft Recovery Plan for the Blackburn's Sphinx Moth (PDF) (Report). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2021.


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