Xylophanes elara
Encyclopedia
Xylophanes elara is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Paraguay
, Surinam, Venezuela
, Bolivia
and Brazil
.
The upperside of the wings and body are olive-green and the distal margin of the forewing is strongly excavate below the falcate apex, then convex. The dorsal scales of the antennae are basally brown, distally cream before the apex. The thorax is unicolorous. The abdomen has a thin darker olive-greenish olive medial line dorsally. The underside of the abdomen is whitish-grey. The forewing upperside has a small, conspicuous, black discal spot. The postmedian lines are straight and oblique. The first to third lines are faint, the fourth is much stronger and the fifth is not distinct except apically. The submarginal line is faint and highlighted by a row of faint vein spots. The base of the forewing underside has a greyish-black triangular patch that just enters the discal cell. The postmedian line that corresponds to the fourth line of the upperside is conspicuous and accentuated by a dot at the costa. The apical line is indistinct. The basal half of the hindwing upperside is black and the median band is buff suffused with olive-green. The hindwing underside has a weak, pale grey median line. The postmedian line is represented by a row of elongate vein spots.
Adults are on wing from March to April and again in August in Bolivia.
The larvae probably feed on Rubiaceae
and Malvaceae
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 known from Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Surinam, 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...
, 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 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...
.
The upperside of the wings and body are olive-green and the distal margin of the forewing is strongly excavate below the falcate apex, then convex. The dorsal scales of the antennae are basally brown, distally cream before the apex. The thorax is unicolorous. The abdomen has a thin darker olive-greenish olive medial line dorsally. The underside of the abdomen is whitish-grey. The forewing upperside has a small, conspicuous, black discal spot. The postmedian lines are straight and oblique. The first to third lines are faint, the fourth is much stronger and the fifth is not distinct except apically. The submarginal line is faint and highlighted by a row of faint vein spots. The base of the forewing underside has a greyish-black triangular patch that just enters the discal cell. The postmedian line that corresponds to the fourth line of the upperside is conspicuous and accentuated by a dot at the costa. The apical line is indistinct. The basal half of the hindwing upperside is black and the median band is buff suffused with olive-green. The hindwing underside has a weak, pale grey median line. The postmedian line is represented by a row of elongate vein spots.
Adults are on wing from March to April and again in August in Bolivia.
The larvae probably feed on Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
and Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
species.