''Agrius convolvuli'', the convolvulus hawk-moth, is a large Sphingidae, hawk-moth. It is common throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, partly as a migrant. In New Zealand, it is also known as the kumara moth, and in the Māori language as hīhue.

Description and habits

The wingspan is 80–105 mm. This hawkmoth's basic coloration is in grayish tones, but the abdomen has a broad gray dorsal stripe and pink and black bands edged with white on the sides. The hindwings are light gray with darker broad crosslines. Agrius convolvuli - MHNT CUT 2010 0 470 - Gironde France - Male dorsal.jpg, ♂ Agrius convolvuli - MHNT CUT 2010 0 470 - Gironde France - Male ventral.jpg, ♂ △ Agrius convolvuli - MHNT CUT 2010 0 470 - Gironde France - Female dorsal.jpg, ♀ Agrius convolvuli - MHNT CUT 2010 0 470 - Gironde France - Female ventral.jpg, ♀ △ Its favourite time is around sunset and during the twilight, when it is seen in gardens hovering over the flowers. This moth is very attracted to light, so it is often killed by cars on highways. Its caterpillars eat the leaves of the ''Convolvulus'', hence its Latin name "convolvuli". Other recorded food plants include a wide range of plants in the families Araceae, Convolvulaceae, Leguminosae and Malvaceae. It can be a pest of cultivated ''Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas'' (sweet potato or kūmara) in New Zealand and the Pacific. It feeds on the wing and has a very long proboscis (longer than its body) that enables it to feed on long trumpet-like flowers such as ''Nicotiana sylvestris''. The caterpillars can be in a number of different colours. As well as brown (pictured below) they have been seen in bright green and black.

Similar species

''A. convolvuli'' is unmistakable in the eastern area of distribution, in the western area of distribution it can be mistaken for ''Agrius cingulatus''. This species, found mainly in South and Central America, is repeatedly detected on the western shores of Europe. ''Agrius cingulatus'' can be distinguished on the basis of the clearly stronger pink colouring of the abdominal segments and a similarly coloured rear wing base. In addition, ''Agrius convolvuli'' form ''pseudoconvolvuli'' Schaufuss, 1870 has some resemblance with North American species in the genus ''Manduca'', for instance ''Manduca sexta''.

Gallery

File:Agrius convoluli variation sjh.JPG, ''Agrius convoluli'' variation File:Agrius convolvuli korseby.jpeg, Larva of ''Agrius convolvuli'' File:Agrius convolvuli LC0286.jpg, Larva of ''Agrius convolvuli'' File:Windenschwärmer Puppe Erdkokon.jpg, Pupa of ''Agrius convolvuli''

References

External links

*
Convolvulus Hawk-moth
at ''UKMoths'' * s:The Moths of the British Isles/Chapter 2, Description in Richard South ''The Moths of the British Isles''
''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agrius Convolvuli Agrius (moth) Moths described in 1758 Moths of Africa Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Moths of Oceania Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus