''Dolba'' is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
moth genus in the family
Sphingidae erected by
Francis Walker in 1856. Its only species, ''Dolba hyloeus'', the pawpaw sphinx, was
first described by
Dru Drury in 1773.
Distribution
The pawpaw sphinx ranges throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, south to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and west to
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, eastern
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, and southern
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Description
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
is .
While the pawpaw sphinx's
cryptic coloration
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
appears similar to that of certain Noctuid moths, such as the members of genus ''
Catocala
''Catocala'' is a generally Holarctic genus of moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Franz von Paula Schrank in 1802. The moths are commonly known as underwing moths or simply underwings. These terms are sometimes used for a fe ...
'', the pawpaw sphinx's forewings do not overlap at rest, such that part of the abdomen remains exposed. The pawpaw sphinx can be distinguished from the
rustic sphinx (''Manduca rustica'') by the former's smaller size and the absence of orange dots on the abdomen that the rustic sphinx exposes in flight.
Biology
Larvae of this species feed on
pawpaw, as well as
blueberries
Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...
and deciduous hollies such as
inkberry Inkberry is a common name for several unrelated plants:
* Any plant in the genus ''Phytolacca'' (pokeweeds)
** Especially '' Phytolacca americana'' (American pokeweed)
* ''Dianella nigra'' (''turutu'' in Māori, New Zealand blueberry)
* '' Ilex gla ...
and
winterberry.
References
External links
*
Sphingini
Moths described in 1773
Moths of North America
Taxa named by Dru Drury
Monotypic moth genera
{{Sphinginae-stub