Xylophanes schwartzi
Encyclopedia
Xylophanes schwartzi is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Ecuador
.
The wingspan
is 80-85 mm for males and 89-95 mm for females. It is similar to Xylophanes rhodochlora
but distinguishable by the carmine-red undersides of the wings. The inner margin of the tegulae is edged with a very narrow pink line. The underside of the palps, thorax and abdomen are pale pink. The forewing upperside is olive-green. The discal spot is conspicuous, round and black. The first postmedian line is weak, the fourth is khaki and runs from the inner margin to the apex. The forewing base has a tuft of black scales beyond which a thin pink line runs along the inner margin for half its length. The underside of the forewing is dark grey or black as far as the end of the discal cell, the remainder of the wing is bright carmine-red with scattered black scales. The hindwing upperside is similar to Xylophanes nabuchodonosor
, but the spots of the median band are obscured by a powdering of green scales. The underside of the hindwing is carmine-red with a dense sprinkling of scattered black scales, basally tending towards pale pink.
The larvae are snake-like. The head and three thoracic segments may be retracted into abdominal segment one, which is swollen and adorned with a pair of light-ringed 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 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...
.
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 80-85 mm for males and 89-95 mm for females. It is similar to Xylophanes rhodochlora
Xylophanes rhodochlora
Xylophanes rhodochlora is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in Peru, Bolivia and possibly Colombia.It is similar to Xylophanes crotonis except for the forewing, which is smaller, shorter and broader. Although it is also green, it is considerably brighter. Furthermore, the pattern found...
but distinguishable by the carmine-red undersides of the wings. The inner margin of the tegulae is edged with a very narrow pink line. The underside of the palps, thorax and abdomen are pale pink. The forewing upperside is olive-green. The discal spot is conspicuous, round and black. The first postmedian line is weak, the fourth is khaki and runs from the inner margin to the apex. The forewing base has a tuft of black scales beyond which a thin pink line runs along the inner margin for half its length. The underside of the forewing is dark grey or black as far as the end of the discal cell, the remainder of the wing is bright carmine-red with scattered black scales. The hindwing upperside is similar to Xylophanes nabuchodonosor
Xylophanes nabuchodonosor
Xylophanes nabuchodonosor is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Bolivia and Peru.The wingspan is 76-82 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes rhodochlora, but the but first postmedian line on the forewing upperside is dentate on the veins between the costa and M3. The discal spot is small....
, but the spots of the median band are obscured by a powdering of green scales. The underside of the hindwing is carmine-red with a dense sprinkling of scattered black scales, basally tending towards pale pink.
The larvae are snake-like. The head and three thoracic segments may be retracted into abdominal segment one, which is swollen and adorned with a pair of light-ringed eye-spots.