Manduca tucumana 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 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 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...

.

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 108 mm. It is similar in appearance to several other members of the Manduca

Manduca

Manduca is a moth genus of the Sphingidae family. The Carolina Sphinx is often used in biological research....

genus, but a number of differences distinguish it from Manduca pellenia

Manduca pellenia

Manduca pellenia is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador....

and Manduca scutata

Manduca scutata

Manduca scutata is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Venezuela south to Bolivia and northern Argentina.The wingspan is about 95 mm. Adults have been recorded in November....

, to which it most closely compares, particularly in its distinctly paler head, thorax and forewing and the almost white discal spot, pale lines and fringe on the forewing upperside. The abdomen underside is somewhat buffish.

Adults have been recorded in March and from November to December in Argentina indicating at least two generations.