Xylophanes porcus

Xylophanes porcus
Xylophanes porcus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Sphingidae
Genus: Xylophanes
Species: X. porcus
Binomial name
Xylophanes porcus
(Hubner, 1823)[1]
Synonyms
  • Oreus porcus Hübner, 1823

The Porcus Sphinx (Xylophanes porcus) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Florida south to Bolivia.[2]

The wingspan is 70-79 mm. The forewing upperside has a distinct discal spot. The antemedian and postmedian bands are represented by diffuse olive-green clouds and the submarginal band is reduced to a single row of small dots.

Adults are probably on wing year round in the tropics. They probably feed on flower nectar.

The larvae of the nominate subspecies feed on Hamelia patens, Psychotria horizontalis, Psychotria pubescens, Psychotria microdon and Palicourea grandifolia. The larvae of ssp. continentalis probably feed on Rubiaceae and Malvaceae species.

Subspecies

  • Xylophanes porcus porcus (Florida south to French Guyana and Venezuela)
  • Xylophanes porcus continentalis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Mexico and Belize south across northern South America (including Colombia) to French Guiana. Also recorded from Bolivia)

References

  1. ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. https://www.cate-sphingidae.org/taxonomy/Xylophanes/porcus.html. Retrieved 2011-10-25. 
  2. ^ "Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/xporcpor.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-25. 
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