Smerinthus planus
Smerinthus planus
Smerinthus planus is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of moth ( Sphingidae ). In Europe, the females of this species males of the evening peacock eye lure and can testify to these fertile eggs, which hatch and caterpillars. Falter, however, result only from male dolls. These males can not attract by females of Smerinthus planus. Whether they are attracted by the females of the evening peacock eye is unknown.
- 6.1 Notes and references
- 6.2 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan of 70 to 100 millimeters. You have similarity provided with a great evening Pfauenauge ( Smerinthus ocellatus ) and like this drawn in dark and light brown and gray forewings tops and with conspicuous eyespots hind wing. Butterflies of spring generation are the smallest ones that hatch in September or October, are significantly larger. If the doll exposed during development cold, the imagos are colored with more gray proportions. With drought and warmer temperatures, the animals are more paler and more brown.
The caterpillars reach a body length of 70 to 90 millimeters. They occur in a bluish- green and apple green color variant. The young caterpillars are initially about six millimeters long, have a pale, weißlichgrüne coloring and a rotschwarzes Analhorn. In the second larval instar occur pale stripes on the sides of the body and the head is above pointed. The fully grown caterpillars see where the evening peacock eye very similar and behave that way. However, the tubercles on their body are coarser, the white stripes wider at the sides of the body and the Analhorn is less blue.
The doll is 35 to 48 millimeters long, and by the evening of the peacock eye indistinguishable.
Occurrence
Smerinthus planus is spread from northern Xinjiang over the north of China, Mongolia, and southeastern Siberia to the Russian Far East and Japan. In the south, the spread over Korea and Taiwan dates to Hainan, Yunnan and eastern Tibet. The occurrence of the species on the Sino- Kazakh border ( Kazakh district Ili ) expands the range of the type ostpaläarktischen significantly to the west. The cause is probably due to the intensive planting of poplars and willows in northern China, which make the type an extension of its range, as happened also in Callambulyx tatarinovii.
The type populated agricultural areas and deciduous forests along valleys.
Way of life
The moths show to defend the eye-spots of their hind wings. They do this more than evening peacocks eyes. In addition, they drop to the ground even faster in case of failure. The moths emerge shortly after dusk. The females attract males with pheromones in a short period of time at midnight. The pairing is relatively short and takes only a few hours. Typically, the couple split up before dawn. The females lay their eggs often the same night, just after mating.
Flight times and caterpillars
The species is probably bivoltin in western China. Further east in China occur depending on the altitude and weather on two to four generations per year, flying from April to September. In Beijing and Ningxia two generations are the rule, three in southern Shaanxi, four in Jiangsu and Jianxi. In Russian Far East, the species is from late May to early August. In Korea, the type flies from early May to late July, with individual specimens have been found even in August.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on most species of poplar (Populus ) and willow ( Salix), the former being preferred. They are also detected in apples (Malus ) and Prunus. A proof of the kind of elms by Wang in 1988, is probably a mistake.
Development
The very glossy, pale green, oval eggs measure 1.9 x 1.6 millimeters. They are grayish before hatching of caterpillars. The females lay from them individually or in pairs on the underside of leaves of the caterpillar food plants in not more than two meters above the ground. The caterpillars cling at first with all legs firmly to the leaf vein on the underside of a leaf, then go back to rest in typical " sphinx " position, in which they cling with the three posterior abdominal pairs of legs. So the animals are perfectly camouflaged on the basis of their color, which balances the body shadow.
Specialized enemies
The caterpillars are attacked by the parasitoid ichneumon Callajoppa lutoria and Netelia cephalotes and of the Brackwespen Aleiodes praetor, Cotesia planus, Cotesia and Microplitis suzumei ocellatae. As with the evening Pfauenauge occur in a colony during the crawler development to large losses by the parasitoids.