Yeperenye Caterpillar
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''Hyles livornicoides'', the Australian striped hawk moth, 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 first described by
Eugen Johann Christoph Esper Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper (2 June 1742 – 27 July 1810) was a German zoologist and naturalist. Born in Wunsiedel in Bavaria, he was professor of zoology at Erlangen university. Life and work Eugen and his brother Friedrich were intro ...
in 1779. The larvae are known by the common name Yeperenye caterpillar, in the
Arrernte language Arrernte or Aranda (; ) or sometimes referred to as Upper Arrernte (Upper Aranda), is a dialect cluster in the Arandic language group spoken in parts of the Northern Territory, Australia, by the Arrernte people. Other spelling variations are A ...
the caterpillars are referred to as ''Ayepe-arenye''.


Distribution

It is found in Australia in
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
, Victoria and
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to 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 about 60 mm. Hyles livornicoides MHNT CUT 2010 0 65 Mareeba Shire Australia male dorsal.jpg, Male dorsal view Hyles livornicoides MHNT CUT 2010 0 65 Mareeba Shire Australia male ventral.jpg, Male ventral view Yepperinye.jpg, Caterpillar


Biology

The larvae feed on '' Portulaca oleracea'', ''
Boerhavia diffusa ''Boerhaavia diffusa'' is a species of flowering plant in the Nyctaginaceae, four o'clock family which is commonly known as punarnava (meaning that which rejuvenates or renews the body in Ayurveda), red spiderling, spreading hogweed, or tarvine. ...
'', ''
Boerhavia schomburgkiana ''Boerhavia'' is a genus of over 100 species in the Nyctaginaceae family. The genus was named for Herman Boerhaave, a Dutch botanist, and the genus name is frequently misspelled "''Boerhaavia''". Common names include spiderlings and hogweeds. T ...
'', ''
Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curre ...
'' and '' Tribulus terrestris''. They are
gregarious Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies. Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother wasp ...
and live in dense colonies.


Human interactions

''H. livornicoides'' was considered by the
Arrernte people The Arrernte () people, sometimes referred to as the Aranda, Arunta or Arrarnta, are a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the Arrernte lands, at ''Mparntwe'' (Alice Springs) and surrounding areas of the Central Australia regi ...
to be the most important ancestral being, along with the '' Ntyarlke'' and '' Utnerrengatye'' caterpillars. The caterpillar in the
Arrernte language Arrernte or Aranda (; ) or sometimes referred to as Upper Arrernte (Upper Aranda), is a dialect cluster in the Arandic language group spoken in parts of the Northern Territory, Australia, by the Arrernte people. Other spelling variations are A ...
is known as ''Ayepe-arenye'', referring to the ''ayepe'' ( tar-vine) that they feed on. The larvae were used as food by Aborigines. They starved the caterpillars for a day or two before roasting them in hot ashes. Due to their sacred nature, following decapitation, their entrails were removed and buried in a hole. The cooked larvae were said to have a pleasant savoury taste and could be stored for a long time.


References


External links


Australian Faunal Directory
* Hyles (moth) Moths described in 1779 {{Macroglossini-stub