Hemeroplanes triptolemus
| Hemeroplanes triptolemus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hemeroplanes triptolemus, adult | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Sphingidae |
| Genus: | Hemeroplanes |
| Species: | H. triptolemus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemeroplanes triptolemus (Cramer, 1779)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Hemeroplanes triptolemus is a moth of the Sphingidae family. Its chest and wings are covered in scales. The moth uses a proboscis to feed itself nectar. Both males and females have a relatively long lifetime of 10 to 30 days. The female moths lay pellucid green eggs. Egg growth varies strongly from 3 to 21 days. There are at least two generations per year with peak flights from January to February and again from June to July.
The moth is known from Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala and probably flies throughout Central America into Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela and Guyana.
Larva
The larvae feed on Mesechites trifida. In its larval form, the Hemeroplanes triptolemus is capable of expanding its anterior body segments to give it the appearance of a snake, complete with eye patches. This snake mimicry extends even to the point where it will harmlessly strike at potential predators.[2][3]
References
- ↑ "CATE Creating a Taxonomic eScience - Sphingidae". Cate-sphingidae.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ "Silkmoths". Silkmoths.bizland.com. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ SARAH GRIFFITHS,"The best disssssguise: Caterpillar looks and even acts like a snake to scare off predators", Daily Mail,11:18 GMT, 28 May 2014.