''Nyceryx riscus'' 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.

Distribution

It is found from

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

and further south to

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 ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

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 50–58 mm. It is similar to ''

Nyceryx stuarti ''Nyceryx stuarti'' is a species of moth in the family Sphingidae. Distribution It is found from Costa Rica and Peru to Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Description The wingspan is about 66 mm. It is similar to '' Nyceryx riscus'', but ...

'' but smaller and paler. There is an indistinct, grey-centred discal spot and a conspicuous black dot distal of it towards the costa on the forewing upperside. Nyceryx riscus MHNT CUT 2010 0 198 Tagusza Cañar Ecuador male dorsal.jpg, Male dorsal
(coll. MHNT) Nyceryx riscus MHNT CUT 2010 0 198 Tagusza Cañar Ecuador ventral.jpg, Male ventral
(coll. MHNT) Nyceryx riscus MHNT CUT 2010 0 198 Laguna Catemaco Mexico female dorsal.jpg, Female dorsal
(coll. MHNT) Nyceryx riscus MHNT CUT 2010 0 198 Laguna Catemaco Mexico female ventral.jpg, Female ventral
(coll. MHNT)

Biology

Adults are probably on wing year round. The larvae feed on mature leaves of '' Xylophragma seemannianum''. They have a solid green tail horn with well-developed bumps. The body is a yellowish or pale green with pale yellow lateral diagonal slashes. The head is pale green with a trace of blue wash.

References

Nyceryx Moths described in 1890 Taxa named by William Schaus Sphingidae of South America Moths of Central America {{Dilophonotini-stub