Hyles livornicoides
| Hyles livornicoides | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Hyles |
| Species: | H. livornicoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Hyles livornicoides (Esper, 1779)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Hyles livornicoides is a moth of the Sphingidae family. The larvae are known by the common name Yeperenye Caterpillar. It is found in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
The wingspan is about 60 mm.
The larvae feed on Portulaca oleracea, Boerhavia diffusa, Boerhavia schomburgkiana, Vitis vinifera and Tribulus terrestris. They are gregarious and live in dense colonies.
The larvae were used as food by Aborigines. They starved the caterpillars for a day or two before roasting them. The cooked larvae were said to have a pleasant savoury taste and could be stored for a long time.
References
- ↑ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience – Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Retrieved 2011-10-25.