''Hyles euphorbiae'', the spurge hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. It has been found in Pontresina,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

( above sea level). This hawk moth is used as an agent of

biological pest control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

against the

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

leafy spurge Leafy spurge may refer to several species of plant in the genus ''Euphorbia'', including: * '' Euphorbia esula'', native to central and southern Europe * ''Euphorbia virgata ''Euphorbia virgata'', commonly known as leafy spurge, wolf's milk leaf ...

(''Euphorbia virgata''), but usually only in conjunction with other agents. The larvae consume the leaves and

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s of the plant. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.

Description

The Spurge Hawk-Moth - Fore wings grey, with an almost square olive-brown blotch; at the base another olive-brown blotch near the middle, and a long oblique band of the same colour, commencing in a point at the extreme apex of the wing, and gradually growing wider until it reaches the margin, where it is very broad: hind wings pink, with a black blotch at the base, and a black band half-way between this black blotch and the margin, and a snowy-white blotch at the anal angle: thorax and body olive-brown, with a white line on each side of the thorax just at the base of the wings; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye, and the two meet at the nose; the body has on each side at the base two square black spots and two square white spots, and beyond them, nearer the apex, and also on each side, are three white lines. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

is smooth and black, with innumerable whitish dots; there are also eleven large spots of the same colour arrayed in a row on each side of the back, and beneath these as many spots of the same size and of a bright coral-red colour; the head is of the same coral-red colour, and a line of the same colour runs all along the back, from the head to the horn; the horn is red at the base and black at the tip. It feeds on sea-spurge. The

chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

is pale brown and delicately lined and dotted with black in the manner of network; it buries itself in the loose dry sand on the sea coast.

The eggs are covered with liquid gum, which enables them to stick on the small leaves of the

spurge ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

. In a fortnight these hatch and produce little black caterpillars; the white and red spots appear as the caterpillar increases in size, and in a few weeks it becomes a most beautiful object, and so conspicuous as to attract the sea-gulls and terns, which devour them in numbers. We have never had the pleasure of finding either the caterpillar or perfect moth. Our description of the caterpillar is taken from the ''Entomological Magazine''. File:Hyles euphorbiae ous.jpg, Egg File:Hyles euphorbiae corrected.jpg, Larva File:Hyles euphorbiae MHNT CUT 2010 0 209 Ganges Hérault France Male dorsal.jpg, Male, dorsal side File:Hyles euphorbiae MHNT CUT 2010 0 209 Ganges Hérault France Male ventral.jpg, Male, ventral side File:Hyles euphorbiae MHNT CUT 2010 0 209 Forêt de Fontainebleau France female dorsal.jpg, Female, dorsal side File:Hyles euphorbiae MHNT CUT 2010 0 209 Forêt de Fontainebleau France female ventral.jpg, Female, ventral side

Subspecies

* ''Hyles euphorbiae euphorbiae'' * ''Hyles euphorbiae conspicua'' (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Middle East)

References

External links

Spurge Hawk-moth
''UKMoths''
''Lepiforum e.V.''''Vlindernet.nl''
{{taxonbar , from=Q913451 Hyles (moth) Moths described in 1758 Lepidoptera used as pest control agents Insects used for control of invasive plants Moths of North America Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus