''Neococytius'' 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 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 ...

erected by

Ronald W. Hodges Ronald William Hodges (August 7, 1934 – December 10, 2017), known as Ron, was an American entomologist and lepidopterist. Hodges was born on August 7, 1934, and was raised in Michigan. He was educated at Michigan State University, obtainin ...

in 1971. Its only species, ''Neococytius cluentius'', the Cluentius sphinx, was first described by

Pieter Cramer Pieter Cramer (21 May 1721 (baptized) – 28 September 1776), was a wealthy Dutch merchant in linen and Spanish wool, remembered as an entomologist. Cramer was the director of the Zealand Society, a scientific society located in Flushing, and a mem ...

in 1776 as ''Sphinx cluentius''. It is found in northern South America,

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. It is rare on

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. It has been recorded in North America, from

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

north to

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. 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 140–160 mm. There are at least three generations in the tropics, with adults on wing from December to January, May to June (or July in Jamaica) and October. The larvae have been recorded on

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

and

Piperaceae The Piperaceae (), also known as the pepper family, are a large family of flowering plants. The group contains roughly 3,600 currently accepted species in 5 genera. The vast majority of species can be found within the two main genera: ''Piper'' ( ...

species as well as ''

Ipomoea batatas The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

''. Otto Porsch in 1939 discussed the potential role of the species (under the synonym ''Cocytius cluentius'') in pollinating cacti, giving the length of its tongue as 25 cm, and noting the corresponding lengths of the flowers of night-blooming cacti. A discussion of the possible pollinators of the cactus ''

Strophocactus wittii ''Strophocactus wittii'', synonym ''Selenicereus wittii'', known as the Amazon moonflower, is a species of plant in the genus '' Strophocactus'' in the cactus family (Cactaceae), and is one of several species commonly called "moonflowers". It wa ...

'' in 1997 used the species name ''Cocytius'' "''cruentus''"; however, it cited a source that uses the correct specific name ''cluentius''.

References

External links

"Cluentius sphinx (''Neococytius cluentius'')"
''Moths of North America''. Archived December 5, 2005.

(September 27, 2012). ''Sphingidae of the Americas''. Archived May 12, 2013.
"''Neococytius cluentius'' (Cramer, [1776 ]) - Cluentius Sphinx"
''Lepiforum e.V.'' Retrieved January 5, 2018. Sphingini">776 ]) - Cluentius Sphinx"">"''Neococytius cluentius'' (Cramer, [1776 ]) - Cluentius Sphinx"
''Lepiforum e.V.'' Retrieved January 5, 2018. Sphingini Moths described in 1776 Moths of North America Moths of South America Taxa named by Pieter Cramer Monotypic moth genera {{Sphinginae-stub