''Ambulyx japonica'' is a species of
moth of the family
Sphingidae first described by
Walter Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild, (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a British banker, politician, zoologist and soldier, who was a member of the Rothschild family. As a Zionist leader, he was present ...
in 1894. It is known from eastern
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Korea,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Taiwan.
Description
The
wingspan is 81–90 mm. There is a broad subbasal band on the forewing upperside. Males are paler than females and less strongly marked.
Ambulyx japonica japonica MHNT CUT 2010 0 59 Foping National Nature Reserve - Shaanxi Province, China male dorsal.jpg, ''Ambulyx japonica japonica'' dorsal view
Ambulyx japonica japonica MHNT CUT 2010 0 59 Foping National Nature Reserve - Shaanxi Province, China male ventral.jpg, ''Ambulyx japonica japonica'' ventral view
Biology
The larvae have been recorded feeding on
Aceraceae species in China. In Japan, larvae have been recorded on ''
Acer'' and ''
Carpinus japonica
''Carpinus japonica'', the Japanese hornbeam, is a hornbeam endemic to Japan but cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.
It is a deciduous tree growing to tall with leaves that are longer and darker than the European hornbeam (''Carpinus betul ...
''. Furthermore, larvae have been reared on ''
Carpinus laxiflora
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English name ''hornbea ...
'' and ''
Carpinus tschonoskii
Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperateness, temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Origin of names
The common English n ...
''.
Subspecies
*''Ambulyx japonica japonica'' (Japan)
*''Ambulyx japonica angustifasciata''
(Okano, 1959) (Taiwan)
*''Ambulyx japonica koreana''
Inoue, 1993 (Korea and eastern China)
References
Ambulyx
Moths described in 1894
Moths of Asia
{{Ambulycini-stub