Euproserpinus euterpe
Encyclopedia
Euproserpinus euterpe (common name Kern Primrose sphinx moth or euterpe sphinx moth) is a small day-flying moth in the Sphingidae
(sphinx) family. The 0.04-inch, light green eggs
are laid haphazardly on various plants in the vicinity of the evening primrose
host plants (Camissonia contorta epilobiodes
or Camissonia campestris
). Larva
e emerge from the eggs about a week after oviposition
and begin to feed on the flowers and young leaves of the evening primrose. Larvae hatching from eggs laid on other plants are able to wander significant distances to find the host plant.
First instar larvae (caterpillar phases) are green with dark brown to black heads, legs, lateral spiracle
s, thoracic shields, and blunt anal horns. Second and third instar larvae are green and red, with red heads, thoracic shields, and proleg
s (leg-like appendages that are not true legs). Fourth and fifth instar larvae (i.e. caterpillars that have shed their skin 3 or 4 times) have red to dark red heads, with green and rust red bodies accented with black areas around spiracles, anal shield and anal horn. The legs are green and the proleg
s are red in these mature larvae. Adult moths have a gray ground color with patterned black and brown markings on the forewings. Hindwings are off-white with black marginal banding. Males are slightly smaller than the females and are difficult to distinguish, except by close examination of the antennae. These are small sphinx moths with a wing span of a bit more than an inch from tip to tip.
Adults nectar on a variety of flowering species that occur in the region, including, filaree (Erodium
sp.), goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis), and baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii). The adult's flight season occurs from mid-January to the first week of April, with a peak period in mid-February through mid-March. The timing may vary according to the climatic conditions in the region.
. The Walker Basin is an agricultural region
, with cereal
s and cattle
the primary crops. The moth is found in disturbed areas in association with its larval and adult food plants. More specifically, the moth favors the banks of sandy washes
, in which the sand has the proper compaction and moisture content for burrowing larvae. It can apparently also use other disturbed areas including road shoulders and abandoned agricultural fields. The population in the Carrizo Plain National Monument was discovered in 2002 and is being managed by the Bureau of Land Management
.
ous Kern County. Sphinx moths are valuable to insect collectors, who may pose a threat to these small populations. Pesticide
or herbicide
application could also endanger the moth. But the greatest threat is likely habitat loss and alteration. This species is extremely rare and in most years field surveys of the Walker Basin population have found few or no individuals. However, desert Lepidoptera often show great natural variations in population size in response to climatic conditions, and surveys may more accurately reflect population status in years with above-normal rainfall.
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
(sphinx) family. The 0.04-inch, light green eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
are laid haphazardly on various plants in the vicinity of the evening primrose
Evening Primrose
Evening Primrose is a musical with a book by James Goldman and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on a John Collier short story published in the 1951 collection Fancies and Goodnights....
host plants (Camissonia contorta epilobiodes
Camissonia contorta
Camissonia contorta is a species of evening primrose known by the common name plains evening primrose. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Idaho, where it grows in many habitat types. It is an annual herb producing a slender, bending to curling red or green...
or Camissonia campestris
Camissonia campestris
Camissonia campestris , is a flowering plant in the family Onagraceae, native to the Mojave Desert of the United States. It grows mostly on open, sandy flats, occurring from sea level to 2,000 m in the western and central part of the desert.It is an annual plant growing to 5-25 cm tall...
). Larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e emerge from the eggs about a week after oviposition
Oviposition
Oviposition is the process of laying eggs by oviparous animals.Some arthropods, for example, lay their eggs with an organ called the ovipositor.Fish , amphibians, reptiles, birds and monetremata also lay eggs....
and begin to feed on the flowers and young leaves of the evening primrose. Larvae hatching from eggs laid on other plants are able to wander significant distances to find the host plant.
First instar larvae (caterpillar phases) are green with dark brown to black heads, legs, lateral spiracle
Spiracle
Spiracles are openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.-Vertebrates:The spiracle is a small hole behind each eye that opens to the mouth in some fishes. In the primitive jawless fish the first gill opening immediately behind the mouth is essentially similar...
s, thoracic shields, and blunt anal horns. Second and third instar larvae are green and red, with red heads, thoracic shields, and proleg
Proleg
A Proleg is the small fleshy, stub structure found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the order Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on other larval insects such as sawflies and a few types of flies....
s (leg-like appendages that are not true legs). Fourth and fifth instar larvae (i.e. caterpillars that have shed their skin 3 or 4 times) have red to dark red heads, with green and rust red bodies accented with black areas around spiracles, anal shield and anal horn. The legs are green and the proleg
Proleg
A Proleg is the small fleshy, stub structure found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the order Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on other larval insects such as sawflies and a few types of flies....
s are red in these mature larvae. Adult moths have a gray ground color with patterned black and brown markings on the forewings. Hindwings are off-white with black marginal banding. Males are slightly smaller than the females and are difficult to distinguish, except by close examination of the antennae. These are small sphinx moths with a wing span of a bit more than an inch from tip to tip.
Adults nectar on a variety of flowering species that occur in the region, including, filaree (Erodium
Erodium
Erodium is a genus of the botanical family Geraniaceae. The genus includes about 60 species, for the most part originating in the Mediterranean or Western Asian regions...
sp.), goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis), and baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii). The adult's flight season occurs from mid-January to the first week of April, with a peak period in mid-February through mid-March. The timing may vary according to the climatic conditions in the region.
Distribution
Distribution is apparently restricted to a privately owned ranch in the Walker Basin, Kern County, and the Carrizo Plain National Monument, San Luis Obispo County, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The Walker Basin is an agricultural region
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, with cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
the primary crops. The moth is found in disturbed areas in association with its larval and adult food plants. More specifically, the moth favors the banks of sandy washes
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
, in which the sand has the proper compaction and moisture content for burrowing larvae. It can apparently also use other disturbed areas including road shoulders and abandoned agricultural fields. The population in the Carrizo Plain National Monument was discovered in 2002 and is being managed by the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.
Conservation status
It once was believed that Erodium was a serious threat to the sphinx moth because of larval mortality after eggs were mistakenly deposited on this plant. However, emerging research shows that female moths deposit eggs on plants indiscriminately, and the larvae wander to find a suitable host. Erodium is never fed upon. Until 1974 the species was considered to be extinct, at which time a surviving population was found in the eponymEponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous Kern County. Sphinx moths are valuable to insect collectors, who may pose a threat to these small populations. Pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
or herbicide
Herbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
application could also endanger the moth. But the greatest threat is likely habitat loss and alteration. This species is extremely rare and in most years field surveys of the Walker Basin population have found few or no individuals. However, desert Lepidoptera often show great natural variations in population size in response to climatic conditions, and surveys may more accurately reflect population status in years with above-normal rainfall.