''Hyles gallii'', the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium sphinx, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, bu ...

. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775.

Similar species

*'' Hyles dahlii'' (Geyer, 1827) *''

Hyles euphorbiae ''Hyles euphorbiae'', the spurge hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. This hawk moth is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge (''Euphorbia virgata''), but usually only in conjunction w ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) - spurge hawk-moth *'' Hyles livornica'' (Esper, 1779) - lined sphinx *''

Hyles nicaea ''Hyles nicaea'', the Mediterranean hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Leonardo de Prunner in 1798. Distribution The nominate subspecies is found from southern Portugal and Spain though southern ...

'' (de Prunner, 1798) *'' Hyles tithymali'' (Boisduval, 1832) DNA testing resulted into the following relationships among the Palaearctic widespread species of the genus ''Hyles'':

Distribution

''Hyles gallii'' is present in North America, in Europe to the Arctic Circle, in Central Asia and in

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 ...

Description

''Hyles gallii'' have a wingspan reaching 55 to 80 mm. In appearance, this species is very similar to ''

''. However, in ''H. gallii'' the red of the hindwings is not so extensive and the olive-colored band on the forewings is not interrupted. :''The following information was taken from the public-domain ''The Illustrated Natural History of British Moths'' (1869) by Edward Newman.''

The Bedstraw Hawk-Moth - Fore wings olive brown, with a broad, irregular, whitish stripe along the middle; hind wings black at the base; then a broad pinkish-white band, quite white near the body, and bright pink about the middle; then a distinct black band, and then a grey margin; thorax and body olive-brown, a white line on each side of the
thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...
just at the base of the wings; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye; sides of the body with black and whitish spots. 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, bluish-green above, inclining to pink beneath, sometimes brown and sometimes black, but always having a pale, almost yellow, line down the middle of the back, and a row of ten conspicuous eye-like yellow spots, on each side; the head is green, brown, or black, according to the colour of the caterpillar, but the horn above the tail is invariably red. … 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 brown, and is found in the sand. The caterpillar feeds in August and September, and the Moth appears about
Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian mart ...
.

Hyles gallii MHNT male dos.jpg, Female Hyles gallii MHNT male ventre.jpg, Female Hyles gallii MHNT female dos.jpg, Male Hyles gallii MHNT female ventre.jpg , Male

Biology

These moths can be encountered at dusk feeding on flowers, but they are active by night up to the day light. The flight period extends from May to October usually in one generation, but in good years there can be a second generation. Sphingidae - Hyles gallii - Habitat

The larva can reach a length of 70 to 80 millimeters and are variable. A variant is olive green with yellow spots. Another version is black with yellow spots and a red head. The colour of the larva darkens before pupation. They feed on fireweed (''

Chamaenerion angustifolium ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. In ...

'', ''

Epilobium montanum ''Epilobium montanum'' or Broad-leaved Willowherb is a species of flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. Description This species grows to 60 cm high. The leaves are hairless and serrate and ovate-lanceolate. They are mostly p ...

''), on bedstraw (''

Galium verum ''Galium verum'' (lady's bedstraw or yellow bedstraw) is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread across most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey to Japan and Kamchatka. It is ...

'' and ''

Galium mollugo ''Galium mollugo'', common name hedge bedstraw or false baby's breath, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It shares the name hedge bedstraw with the related European species, Galium album. Description ''Galium mollugo'' can ...

'') and various other plants (''

Clarkia ''Clarkia'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in ''Clarkia''; almost all are native to western North America, though one species (''Clarkia tenella'') is native to South America. ...

'', ''

Fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' () is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. The first to be scientifically described, '' Fuchsia triphylla'', was discovered on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republi ...

'', ''

Circaea The ''Circaea'', or enchanter's nightshades, are a genus of flowering plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. About two dozen taxa have been described, including eight species. Plants of the genus occur throughout the temperate and bor ...

'', ''

Plantago major ''Plantago major'', the broadleaf plantain, white man's footprint, waybread, or greater plantain, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. The plant is native to Eurasia. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, a ...

'', etc.).Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil
''Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa''
/ref> They can be found from July to September.

Habitat

This species prefers sandy or

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

places, sunny heath, plantations, warm forest edges and wherever else it could find the host plants. These moths can be found in the Alps up to 2700 meters above sea level.

Gallery

Sphingidae_-_Hyles_gallii_(caterpillar)_(third_instar).JPG, Caterpillar of ''Hyles gallii'' (young stage) on ''

Epilobium angustifolium ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed, in some parts of Canada as great willowherb, in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. In ...

'' Hyles gallii larva.jpg, ''Hyles gallii'' caterpillar, black variant Sphingidae - Hyles gallii (caterpillar).JPG, ''Hyles gallii'' caterpillar Sphingidae - Hyles gallii (pupa).jpg, Pupa of ''Hyles gallii''

References

* A. R. Pittaway: ''The Hawkmoths of the Western Palaearctic''. Harley Books 1993, * P.C. Rougeot, P. Viette, ''Guide des papillons nocturnes d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord'', Delachaux et Niestlé, Lausanne 1978.

External links

Bedstraw Hawk-moth
''UKMoths''
''Hyles gallii''
''Lepiforum e.V.''

''Portal für Schmetterlinge und Raupen'' * Description in Richard South's ''The Moths of the British Isles'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyles Gallii Hyles (moth) Moths described in 1775 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of Iceland Moths of Japan Moths of North America Taxa named by S. A. von Rottemburg Articles containing video clips