Lapara bombycoides
Preparation of Lapara bombycoides
Lapara bombycoides is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of moth ( Sphingidae ). He colonized large parts of eastern North America and has the widest distribution of all species of the genus Lapara. In large part of this area, he is also the only occurring Lapara type.
- 5.1 Notes and references
- 5.2 Literature
Features
The moths have a forewing length of 21-29 millimeters. You see Lapara coniferarum very similar and are difficult to distinguish from this species. Fresh specimens of similar type have on the tops of the front wings a uniform gray color, which is brightened by a white squamation and anything by tender spots, whereas Lapara bombycoides has a distinctly mottled coloring of gray, brown and white. The wing undersides of similar type have either no or only very weakly developed oblique binding, whereas Lapara bombycoides carries on the bottom of both pairs of wings quite clear white napkins. The upper side of the hind wings is uniformly brown gray without patterning. Lapara phaeobrachycerous is colored rather darker and has shorter probes. In addition, the pattern on the wings of this kind is even less pronounced than in Lapara coniferarum.
The difference between males and females in the contrast of the pattern on the forewings is at Lapara bombycoides not as pronounced as in Lapara coniferarum. Most individuals have the typical, clearly contrasting pattern, but there are also instances in which the pattern is very faint. In animals from the north of its range, the front wings seem to tend to have more Brown shares than in animals from the south.
The caterpillars are typically green and have white to yellowish white subdorsal line, spiraculare and subspiraculare longitudinal lines. Like the butterflies look similar to caterpillars of Lapara coniferarum. The longitudinal lines can vary from white to yellowish in both species. The intensity of the reddish-brown spots on the back and around the spiracles is variable in both species. Full-grown larvae of Lapara coniferarum appear to have mostly orange Torah calf A, whereas Lapara has bombycoides green calf A Torah.
The smooth, almost black and elongated pupae of the genus Lapara can not be distinguished at the species level.
Occurrence
The species occurs in the East of the United States from New England, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. You're lacking in the Coastal Plain of the more southern States on the Atlantic coast, but their distribution extends in a finger-shaped bulge in the interior up to the Appalachian Mountains, where they south at least to the Fontana Dam in Graham County in North Carolina and the Vogel State Park is proven in Union County in the extreme northeast Georgia. Whether the type in Florida occurring in isolation, as is claimed by some authors, is questionable. The species occurs in a second, the northern extension of its range on the Great Lakes. You get there on in Michigan, the extreme northwest Indiana and in most parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota. In the north of the sort comes to Canada, where they up north to Zentralmanitoba and saskatchewan occurs in eastern Prince Edward Iceland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick over the southern third of Quebec and much of Ontario, west. There are also newer evidence of Fort Chipewyan and Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta, which have significantly expanded our knowledge of the distribution area.
The species inhabited in most parts of its northern distribution area sandy Pine Barrens habitats. In the Appalachians it is bound to deciduous forests higher layers with sporadic pine plantings.
Way of life
The adults have not been observed when visiting flowers. The males often fly to artificial light sources, females rarely one finds there.
Flight Times
In the northern part of its range the species is clearly in one generation per year by the end of May to early July. Further south in the Appalachian Mountains, the occurrence seems to take place as well in this period, however, the state of research is still insufficient.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars are detected predominantly in jack pine (Pinus banksiana ), White Pine (Pinus strobus ) and American red pine ( Pinus resinosa ). But they are also found in other pines and is sometimes even on Ostamerikanischer Larch ( Larix laricina ).
Development
The females lay their little greenish eggs singly or in pairs from the needles of the caterpillar food plants. The caterpillars hatch in eight to ten days. Pupation takes place in an applied just below the surface chamber, which is enhanced by a little silk threads. In studies they found the chamber frequently among moss cushions.