Xylophanes falco
Encyclopedia
Xylophanes falco is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is found from Honduras
and Guatemala
north through Mexico
to southern Arizona
and western Texas
. It is generally found in oak woodland and along streamsides.
The wingspan
is 70-80 mm. Adults are similar to Xylophanes monzoni
but generally paler, with a less diffuse pattern and more falcate forewings. The abdomen has long, pale hair-like scales. The forewing upperside is pale brown-beige from the base to the apex with scattered black scales restricted to the leading edge anterior to the discal spot. The base of the wing has a pale purple suffusion and traces of two median lines running from the inner margin. There is a full complement of five dark brown postmedian and two submarginal lines, all sharply defined and converging to the apex. It is less contrastingly patterned than Xylophanes monzoni. The hindwing upperside ground colour is pale brown and the median band consists of two thin, straight, dark brown lines. The submarginal band is present and of similar colour and width to the two median lines, but it is distinctly darker than the grey marginal band.
Adults are on wing from June to September in Arizona and continuously in the tropics.
The larvae possibly feed on Bouvardia glaberrima. There is a single large eye on the thorax and six white circles down the side of the caterpillar. There are also extensive bands of white dots girdling the abdomen.
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 found from Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and 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...
north through Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and western Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It is generally found in oak woodland and along streamsides.
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 70-80 mm. Adults are similar to Xylophanes monzoni
Xylophanes monzoni
Xylophanes monzoni is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Guatemala.The length of the forewings is about 41 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes falco, but generally darker, with a more diffuse pattern and less falcate forewings. Furthermore, the underside of the abdomen is lacking the two...
but generally paler, with a less diffuse pattern and more falcate forewings. The abdomen has long, pale hair-like scales. The forewing upperside is pale brown-beige from the base to the apex with scattered black scales restricted to the leading edge anterior to the discal spot. The base of the wing has a pale purple suffusion and traces of two median lines running from the inner margin. There is a full complement of five dark brown postmedian and two submarginal lines, all sharply defined and converging to the apex. It is less contrastingly patterned than Xylophanes monzoni. The hindwing upperside ground colour is pale brown and the median band consists of two thin, straight, dark brown lines. The submarginal band is present and of similar colour and width to the two median lines, but it is distinctly darker than the grey marginal band.
Adults are on wing from June to September in Arizona and continuously in the tropics.
The larvae possibly feed on Bouvardia glaberrima. There is a single large eye on the thorax and six white circles down the side of the caterpillar. There are also extensive bands of white dots girdling the abdomen.