''Amorpha juglandis'', the walnut sphinx, is the only species in the
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 "unispe ...
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 ...
genus ''Amorpha'', which is 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, but ...
, erected by
Jacob Hübner
Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology.
Scientific career
Hübner was the author of ' ...
in 1809. The species was
first described by
James Edward Smith in 1797.
Distribution
It is native to North America, where it is distributed from the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
in Canada and the United States.
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 o ...
is 45–75 mm.
Amorpha juglandis MHNT CUT 2010 0 266 Edgard, St. John Par. Louisiana USA female dorsal.jpg, Female
Amorpha juglandis MHNT CUT 2010 0 266 Edgard, St. John Par. Louisiana female ventral.jpg, Female underside
Amorpha juglandis MHNT CUT 2010 0 266 Sank City Sank Co Wisconsin male dorsal.jpg, Male
Amorpha juglandis MHNT CUT 2010 0 266 Sank City Sank Co Wisconsin male ventral.jpg, Male underside
Biology
The adult moth is
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
, active mainly during the early hours of the night.
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 Sy ...
feeds on
alder
Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...
(''Alnus''),
hickory
Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mex ...
(''Carya''),
hazel
The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
nut (''Corylus''),
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...
(''Fagus''),
walnut
A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''.
Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...
(''Juglans''), and
hop-hornbeam (''Ostrya'') species. When attacked by a bird, the caterpillar produces a high-pitched whistle by expelling air from pair of
spiracles in its abdomen. This
antipredator adaptation
Anti-predator adaptations are mechanisms developed through evolution that assist prey organisms in their constant struggle against predators. Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations have evolved for every stage of this struggle, namely by avo ...
may startle the bird, which may then reject the caterpillar.
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
"''Amorpha juglandis'' (J. E. Smith, 1797)" ''Sphingidae of the Americas''. Archived June 29, 2006.
*
Smerinthini
Taxa named by Jacob Hübner
Moths described in 1797
Moths of North America
{{Smerinthini-stub