- Cocytius antaeus
-
Giant sphinx 
Cocytius antaeus, adult Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Sphingidae Genus: Cocytius Species: C. antaeus Binomial name Cocytius antaeus
(Drury, 1773)[1]Synonyms - Sphinx antaeus Drury, 1773
- Sphinx annonae Shaw, 1802
- Sphinx hydaspus Cramer, 1777
- Sphinx iatrophae Fabricius, 1775
- Sphinx medor Stoll, 1782
- Amphonyx tapayusa Moore, 1883
- Cocytius henrici Pinchon, 1969
The Giant Sphinx (Cocytius antaeus) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Brazil through Central America and into the southern parts of Texas and Florida in the United States.
The wingspan is 126-178 mm. Very rare in North America, it is the only insect in the continent with a long enough proboscis to pollinate the similarly rare Ghost Orchid.
The larvae feed on Annona glabra, Annona reticulata, Annona purpurea, Annona holosericea and Rollinia membranacea.[2]
References
- ^ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. http://www.cate-sphingidae.org/taxonomy/Cocytius/antaeus.html. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ "Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. 2011-01-31. http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/cantaeus.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
External links
- Giant Sphinx Butterflies and Moths of North America
This Sphinginae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
