Xylophanes fernandezi
Encyclopedia
Xylophanes fernandezi is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from Colombia
and Venezuela
.
The length of the forewings is 44-47 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes tersa tersa
and Xylophanes resta
but differs in its dark, monotonous appearance. The head and thorax are dark brown to brown-black dorsally. The dorsal scaling of the antenna is dirty white. The abdomen is ash-brown dorsally with five dark longitudinal lines. The basal black patches are present. Laterally, stripes are paler rust-brown. The forewing upperside ground colour is ash-brown and the postmedian lines are indistinct (the fourth line is most prominent). The hindwing upperside is as in Xylophanes tersa tersa but the median band consists of a row of cream-coloured spots.
The larvae probably feed on Rubiaceae
and Malvaceae
species.
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 is known from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
The length of the forewings is 44-47 mm. It is similar to Xylophanes tersa tersa
Xylophanes tersa
The Tersa Sphinx is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from the United States , through Mexico, the West Indies and Central America and into parts of South America...
and Xylophanes resta
Xylophanes resta
Xylophanes resta is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Venezuela south to Peru and Bolivia.The length of the forewings is 36-41 mm. It is intermediate in appearance between Xylophanes aristor and Xylophanes tersa. There is a weakly developed golden medial line on the tegula...
but differs in its dark, monotonous appearance. The head and thorax are dark brown to brown-black dorsally. The dorsal scaling of the antenna is dirty white. The abdomen is ash-brown dorsally with five dark longitudinal lines. The basal black patches are present. Laterally, stripes are paler rust-brown. The forewing upperside ground colour is ash-brown and the postmedian lines are indistinct (the fourth line is most prominent). The hindwing upperside is as in Xylophanes tersa tersa but the median band consists of a row of cream-coloured spots.
The larvae probably feed on Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
and Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
species.