Erinnyis lassauxii
Encyclopedia
The Lassaux's Sphinx is a moth
of the Family Sphingidae
. It lives from northern Argentina
, through Central America
, and into the lower United States
(Texas
, New Mexico
, and Arizona
).
The wingspan
is 92-105 mm. The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with gray streaks along the inner margin and a gray patch at the tip of the wing. The upperside of the hindwing is dark brown with varying amounts of dark orange at the base.
Adults are on wing year round in the tropics and have been recorded from July to October in Arizona, in December in Texas and in September in southern Florida. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Saponaria officinalis and Cynanchum racemosum.
The caterpillars of this species feed on papaya
(Carica papaya), Manihot esculenta in the spurge
Family (Euphorbiaceae), and several plants in the milkweed
family (Asclepiadaceae).
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 Family 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,...
. It lives from northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and into the lower United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
).
The wingspan
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 92-105 mm. The upperside of the forewing is dark brown with gray streaks along the inner margin and a gray patch at the tip of the wing. The upperside of the hindwing is dark brown with varying amounts of dark orange at the base.
Adults are on wing year round in the tropics and have been recorded from July to October in Arizona, in December in Texas and in September in southern Florida. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Saponaria officinalis and Cynanchum racemosum.
The caterpillars of this species feed on papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
(Carica papaya), Manihot esculenta in the 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....
Family (Euphorbiaceae), and several plants in the milkweed
Asclepiadaceae
According to APG II, the Asclepiadaceae is a former plant family now treated as a subfamily in the Apocynaceae...
family (Asclepiadaceae).