Xylophanes tyndarus 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 Family 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,...

. It is distributed from 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...

 and Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

 to 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...

 and westward into 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 75-86 mm. The upperside of the body and wings is green, often very bright. The underside of the body is whitish green. The forewing has three narrow antemedian lines. The postmedian line is well-marked, straight, the basal edge is sharply delineated, the distal edge is diffuse and it is gradually lightening toward the outer margin. The remaining postmedian lines are poorly defined or absent. The oblique apical line is short. The oblique apical line on the forewing underside forms an angle with the irregularly undulate postmedian line, the marginal area bordered by these lines is as broad as in Xylophanes schausi

Xylophanes schausi

Xylophanes schausi is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is known from Venezuela, Brazil and Bolivia.The distal margin of the forewing is strongly convex. The abdomen has no dorsal lines. The postmedian lines are dentate and the two proximal lines are faint, but traceable from the costal to the...

. The green median band on the hindwing does not reach the costa. The distal margin is often green.

There are probably at least two generations per year. In Costa Rica, adults have been recorded from November to February and again from April to July. In Brazil, adults have been recorded in September.

The larvae feed on Faramea occidentalis and probably other 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 ,...

species. Early instars are green with yellow eyes, and feed solely on new leaves. They turn brown in the last instar and have a yellow eye ring.

External links

• Xylophanes tyndarus Sphingidae of the Americas