''Hemeroplanes triptolemus'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae.

Description

Hemeroplanes triptolemus MHNT CUT 2010 0 162 Cali Colombia Female dorsal.jpg, Female dorsal
(coll. MHNT) Hemeroplanes triptolemus MHNT CUT 2010 0 162 Cali Colombia Female ventral.jpg, Female ventral
(coll. MHNT)

Biology

Its chest and wings are covered in scales. The moth uses a proboscis to feed itself

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

. 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 larvae feed on ''

Mesechites trifida ''Mesechites '' is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae first described as a genus in 1860. It is native to Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies.Davidse, G., M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera. 2009. Cuc ...

''. 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.

Distribution

The moth is known from

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, Belize, Mexico,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and probably flies throughout Central America into

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Ecuador,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Argentina, Venezuela and

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

References

Dilophonotini Moths described in 1779 Taxa named by Pieter Cramer Sphingidae of South America Moths of Central America {{Dilophonotini-stub