Adhemarius blanchardorum
Adhemarius blanchardorum is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of moth ( Sphingidae ). For a North American Schwärmerart it was first described relatively late, despite their eye-catching appearance. It is rarely caught and is so far known only from a very small area of distribution. The species is closely related to Adhemarius globifer that occurs adjacent to the area of distribution of Adhemarius blanchardorum in northern Mexico. It is conceivable that these two types are conspecific, but this is not yet sufficiently studied. The preimaginal stages are unknown.
Features
The moths have a forewing length of 43-53 millimeters. You are not variable in their coloration. The species can be confused in North America only Protambulyx strigilis. From this, the nature varies greatly by her strong, green spots and the dark large basal spot on the forewings. The rather inconspicuous patterned similar type also does not strongly concave curved front wing outer edge.
Occurrence
The species is only known from Panther Pass at about 1830 meters above sea level and the Green Gulch approximately 1675 meters above sea level in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in Texas. From the adjacent mountains of Mexico, there is no evidence, but possibly also because of the fact that the species was there wanted only inadequate.
The animals found so far populated a single, fairly deep gorge, which is protected from the harsh environmental conditions of the surrounding desert and dry hills something. There, the ground temperature is relatively low through tree plantings and more humid, which is unique in the Chisos Mountains microclimate prevails.
Way of life
Hodges reported in its first description that imagines light traps anflögen just before sunset and later to come no further animals more. However, from other researchers to have been well -documented that the moths would be attracted to about one hour after sunset the light. Although the moths have only an approximately 21 millimeters long proboscis, but they seem to have a sufficiently well-developed muscles in order to suck nectar can. However, no copy was seen when visiting flowers. Moths have been trapped from early May to early July, although one has tried this in the late summer and early autumn. It seems therefore to be no second generation per year.
Despite targeted search the preimaginal stages of the species are unknown. However, it is assumed that they have the usual characteristics of Smerinthinae. There is the potential food plants various assumptions that derive from the fact that one. Despite intensive search on young shoots of a wide variety of woody plants in the vicinity of places where you've caught moths, could find no caterpillars There is therefore the possibility that the nature uncharacteristically fed from a conifer, a low-growing herbaceous plant or from older parts of woody plants.