Hyles perkinsi
Encyclopedia
Perkin's Sphinx is a species of moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is endemic to Oahu
and Molokai
.
The forewing is greenish-grey, irrorated with white. The hindwing is pink with broad, black borders and the abdomen is banded with white.
Larvae have been recorded on Euphorbia, Kadua
, Straussia kaduana and other Straussia species.
.
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 is endemic to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
.
The forewing is greenish-grey, irrorated with white. The hindwing is pink with broad, black borders and the abdomen is banded with white.
Larvae have been recorded on Euphorbia, Kadua
Kadua
Kadua is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It comprises 29 species, all restricted to Polynesia. Twenty-two of these are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Some of the species are common at high elevation. Others are single-island endemics or very rare, and a few are probably...
, Straussia kaduana and other Straussia species.
Taxonomy
Kitching and Cadiou have elevated it to full species status. It was formerly a subspecies of Hyles wilsoniHyles wilsoni
Wilson's Sphinx is a species of moth of the Sphingidae family. It is endemic to Hawaii.In wet districts the moth is freely on the wing at all hours of the day, visiting the flowers of Metrosideros, as well as those of cultivated plants...
.