The Half-Blind Sphinx or Coffee Sphinx (Perigonia lusca) is a moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 of the Sphingidae

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,...

 family. It found from the northern tip of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, through most of Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

, and up to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 55-65 mm. There are several generations per year in southern Florida. On the Galapagos Islands, adults are on wing in April and July. In the tropics, adults are probably on wing year round.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on Guettarda macrosperma, Guettarda scabra, Coffea

Coffea

Coffea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Seeds of several species are the source of the popular beverage coffee. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded...

species (including Coffea arabica

Coffea arabica

Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...

), Ilex krugiana, Ilex paraguariensis, Genipa americana

Genipa americana

Genipa americana is a species of Genipa, native to northern South America , the Caribbean and southern Mexico, growing in rainforests. It is commonly called Genipapo or Huito; the alternate name Jagua may refer to other species of Genipa as well. To the Inca, it was known as hawa or wituq...

, Rondeletia

Rondeletia

Rondeletia is a genus name. It can refer to:* Rondeletia, the redmouth whalefishs* Rondeletia , flowering plants in the madder family...

, Gonzalagunia

Gonzalagunia

Gonzalagunia is a genus of plant in family Rubiaceae. Species include:* Gonzalagunia bifida* Gonzalagunia dodsonii* Gonzalagunia mollis* Gonzalagunia pauciflora* Gonzalagunia rosea...

species (including Gonzalagunia spicata) and Cinchona succirubra. They are green with a yellow tail horn and a dark blue stripe down the back. There is at least one color morph.

Subspecies

• Perigonia lusca lusca (Mexico to Panama and Honduras, Venezuela, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, southern United States)
• Perigonia lusca continua Vázquez-G., 1959 (Revillagigedo Island and Soccoro Island in Mexico)

External links

• Half-Blind Sphinx Butterflies and Moths of North America