Sphinx franckii
Preparation of Sphinx franckii
Sphinx franckii is a butterfly (moth ) from the family of moth ( Sphingidae ). As the very rare species of butterflies only was known, it was assumed that it kalmiae natural hybrids between Sphinx and Sphinx chersis acted. Only when they found the caterpillars, it was recognized that there had to be a separate species.
- 3.1 Flight times and caterpillars
- 3.2 food of the caterpillars
- 5.1 Notes and references
- 5.2 Literature
Features
Butterfly
The moths have a forewing length of 42-64 millimeters, whereas the females are slightly larger than males. The species is not variable. Through the gray cost Alber calibration and the otherwise yellowish brown forewings, the species is unmistakable. Between the two color spaces include several dark diagonal stripes. The outer edge is slightly concave in males. The hind wings are black and have a basal brown spot. The Media fascia and the outer edge are well colored.
Egg
The shiny pale yellow eggs are oval and measure 1.9 times 1.7 millimeters. One can see the caterpillar through the eggshell.
Caterpillar
The caterpillars are about five to six millimeters long after hatching and have a pale yellow color. Her great Analhorn is orange and has a black tip. By seizing the base color of the caterpillar is greenish and it occurs before the first molt at the sides of the back of each a double pale line, which extends from the head to the Analhorn. On the front segments, another such line is below the spiracles. In the second stage, the animals are gray-green and have a very strong grainy textured body surface. The back is paler and almost white. The top of the dorsolateral longitudinal lines is now very white and trained much stronger. There are seven white, oblique side stripes on the sides of the body. On the chest, a white ventro -lateral line forms. The triangular, notched head is pale green, carries the Vertex thorns on the cheeks and yellow stripes. The Analhorn is orange and has a pale, almost yellowish margin. In the third stage, the body has a blue gray color, and the back is whitish. The side stripes are cream colored and the last to be strong leads to the base of the Analhorns. The head is apple green and has yellow stripes on the cheeks. The Analhorn is pale yellow and dark orange dorsal shimmers. It is now also fine purple tubercles. The more dominant dorsolateral line now bears are strung together in a line of tooth-like tubercles. The Torah calf A are green with pink tips. In the fourth stage, the sloping verges of animals are edged with turquoise green. The strong, straight Analhorn on the sides pale cream-colored, blue-gray above and below, and thus merges with the adjacent sloping verges. All the other side stripes fade, with the lower half of each strip is colored more yellow than white and often consists of only one row of tubercles. The teeth of the dorso -lateral lines are now separated and form a track adjacent to the back of double-sided. Towards head, the teeth are larger and are more yellowish. The head and thorax are apple green, the strong Nachschieber is yellow.
Full grown animals are 85 to 92 millimeters long. The head is now broadly triangular, the thoracic segments are laterally flattened and the spiracles are orange. The Analhorn is very strong and slightly curved. It is blue-gray above, grayish below and cream on the sides. On the back of the abdomen is white, with the exception of turquoise green edged ridges and an occasional purple sheen. The Torah calf A are at the basal segment green above and yellow, the middle segment is red, fuchsia top. The double crest on the back is unique in the genus Sphinx and occurs otherwise only with the caterpillars of Ceratomia Amyntor.
Doll
The doll is 50 to 56 millimeters long. It is blackish brown, the Intersegmentalhäute but are mahogany brown. The very short, about five millimeters long proboscis sheath is free, but lies flat on the body. The short, very broad and strong cremaster ends in a four-way tip.
Occurrence
The species is distributed from New Jersey south through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to Missouri. Especially in the Appalachian Mountains and west to the Ohio River Valley, the species is common. Southeast of the species is detected to the north of Florida, where it is very rare. The northern limit of distribution is apparently where ice age glaciers have spread.
Sphinx franckii populated old deciduous forests.
Way of life
The moths are documented only by light traps, there is no observed flower visits. The flight of the animals begins shortly before midnight.
Flight times and caterpillars
The moths fly in the Appalachian Mountains from mid-June to mid-July. In southern Illinois the way flies from mid-June to mid-August. In northern Florida the way flies from early June to late August. Since only a few can be individual finds it difficult to determine whether one or two generations, flying in the year.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars feed on ash trees (Fraxinus ). The claim that they also eat on elms (Ulmus ), could not be proven and are probably due to confusion with Ceratomia Amyntor.
Development
In captivity, females lay their eggs singly on. After hatching, the caterpillars eat at least half of the egg shell. They rest at the beginning of the midrib on the underside of the leaves of their food plant and take very little food. In the second stage, the caterpillars are very sluggish. From the fourth stage, they hang when feeding from the leaf stem, by clinging to the posterior abdominal legs. After a few days of eating the caterpillar is separated from the stems of the leaves. Pupation takes place in a chamber, a few inches deep in the ground.