Madoryx
Madoryx oiclus
Madoryx is a genus of butterflies of the family of moth ( Sphingidae ). The genus includes four species and occurs in North and South America.
Features
The moths are patterned in browns and grays. For all species two iridescent silver Diskalflecken are formed. The first major patch is irregular, the second near the Costalrand is greatly reduced. The outer edges of both pairs of wings are very irregular. The morphology of the genitalia is similar to that in the genus Erinnyis.
The caterpillars of three of the four species are similar to those of the cutworm genus Catocala, the caterpillars of Madoryx pseudothyreus similar to those of the tensioner Oxydia vesulia that occur in the same distribution area.
Occurrence and life
The genus is distributed from Florida to southern Brazil. Only in M. pseudothyreus also a reproduction in North America is been established. However, M. oiclus is detected from Tamaulipas in Mexico, so it is quite likely that this species is permanently settled in the United States.
The lifestyle of preimaginal stages differs greatly from that of other enthusiasts. The caterpillars of M. and M. pseudothyreus oiclus strong spin cocoons on their food plants, which is probably due to the fact that they inhabit moist habitats.
System
Worldwide four species of the genus are known:
- Madoryx bubastus ( Cramer, 1777)
- Madoryx oiclus ( Cramer, 1779)
- Madoryx plutonius ( Hübner )
- Madoryx pseudothyreus ( Grote, 1865)