Isognathus leachii
Encyclopedia
Isognathus leachii is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from southern Panama
and from Colombia
, Venezuela
, Brazil
, Ecuador
, Bolivia
and Argentina
.
The wingspan
is about 85 mm for males and 94 mm for females. There are indistinct bands on the upperside of the abdomen and an elongate patch on the forewing upperside. The inner edge of the dark brown marginal band of the hindwing upperside is distinctly and almost regularly dentate and not constant in width.
There are probably multiple generations per year.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on Allamanda cathartica
and Allamanda blancheti. They have long tails and are very colourful, suggesting they are unpalatable to birds.
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 southern Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, 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...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, 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...
and 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...
.
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 about 85 mm for males and 94 mm for females. There are indistinct bands on the upperside of the abdomen and an elongate patch on the forewing upperside. The inner edge of the dark brown marginal band of the hindwing upperside is distinctly and almost regularly dentate and not constant in width.
There are probably multiple generations per year.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on 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 blancheti. They have long tails and are very colourful, suggesting they are unpalatable to birds.