Isognathus caricae is a moth

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 known from Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

, French Guiana

French Guiana

French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...

, Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

, 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...

 and Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

It is similar to Acherontia

Death's-head Hawkmoth

The name Death's-head Hawkmoth refers to any one of the three species of moth in the genus Acherontia. The former species is primarily found in Europe, the latter two are Asian, and most uses of the common name refer to the European species...

species and other Isognathus

Isognathus

Isognathus is a genus of moths in the Sphingidae family.-Species:*Isognathus allamandae - Clark 1920*Isognathus australis - Clark 1917*Isognathus caricae - *Isognathus excelsior -...

species, from which it can be distinguished by the dark marginal band of the hindwing upperside, which is replaced by a series of black streaks along the veins.

There are probably multiple generations per year.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on Himatanthus obovatus

Himatanthus obovatus

Himatanthus obovatus is a species of Himatanthus genus in the Apocynaceae family, which is native from Brazil, typically in Cerrado vegetation. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.-External links:*...

, Allamanda cathartica

Allamanda cathartica

Allamanda cathartica is an ornamental plant of Allamanda genus in the Apocynaceae family, which is native from Brazil. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius....

and Allamanda schottii

Allamanda schottii

Allamanda schottii is an ornamental plant of Allamanda genus in the Apocynaceae family, which is native from Brazil. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.-External links:* photo*...

. They have long tails and are very colourful, suggesting they are unpalatable to birds.

Subspecies

• Isognathus caricae caricae (Costa Rica, French Guiana, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil)
• Isognathus caricae rainermarxi Eitschberger, 1999 (Peru)