Xylophanes cthulhu
Encyclopedia
Xylophanes cthulhu is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from lowland rainforest in Guatemala
and Costa Rica
.
The wingspan
is 76-82 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes neoptolemus
but distinguishable by the overall brighter colour and the more acutely falcate tip of the forewing, a pure black basal area to the hindwing and a golden yellow band between the first and fourth postmedian lines on the forewing underside
Adults are on wing year round in Costa Rica.
The larvae feed on Ludwigia
species. They have a snake-like appearance. The head and the three thoracic segments can be retracted into abdominal segment one, which is swollen and adorned with a pair of light-ringed grey eye-spots.
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 lowland rainforest in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and 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....
.
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 76-82 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes neoptolemus
Xylophanes neoptolemus
Xylophanes neoptolemus is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Trinidad and Surinam to Venezuela and north-western Brazil. It is probably present in much of South America....
but distinguishable by the overall brighter colour and the more acutely falcate tip of the forewing, a pure black basal area to the hindwing and a golden yellow band between the first and fourth postmedian lines on the forewing underside
Adults are on wing year round in Costa Rica.
The larvae feed on Ludwigia
Ludwigia
Ludwigia is a genus of about 75 species of aquatic plants with a cosmopolitan but mainly tropical distribution.Selected species...
species. They have a snake-like appearance. The head and the three thoracic segments can be retracted into abdominal segment one, which is swollen and adorned with a pair of light-ringed grey eye-spots.