Sphinx_ligustri

<i>Sphinx ligustri</i>

Sphinx ligustri

Species of moth

"Privet hawk moth" redirects here. For the other moth with this common name, see Psilogramma menephron.

Quick Facts Privet hawk moth, Scientific classification ...

Sphinx ligustri, the privet hawk moth, is a moth found in most of the Palearctic realm. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

Description

It has a 12 centimetres (4.7 in) wingspan (generally deflexed at rest), and is found in urban areas, forests and woodlands.

The male privet hawk moth can make a hissing sound, if disturbed, by rubbing together a set of scales and spines at the end of its abdomen.

The larvae are usually found between July and August: and bury themselves in the earth when preparing to become a pupa. They then fly in the following June.[2]

Diet

As its name describes, the caterpillars feed on privets, as well as ash trees, lilacs, jasmine, and a number of other plants.

  • Female, dorsal side
  • Female, ventral side
  • Male, dorsal side
  • Male, ventral side
  • Caterpillar
  • Pupating
  • Pupa
  • Pupa, caterpillar, and adult

References

  1. [1]
    "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  2. [2]
    Donovan, Edward (1792). The Natural History of British Insects: Explaining Them in Their Several States, With the Periods of Their Transformations, Their Food, Economy, &c. Together With the History of Such Minute Insects As Require Investigation by the Microscope: The Whole Illustrated by Coloured Figures, Designed and Executed from Living Specimens. London. p. 79.


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