''Eumorpha achemon'', the Achemon sphinx, is a
moth of the family
Sphingidae. The species was
first described by
Dru Drury in 1773.
Distribution
It is native to North America, where it is known from most of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. It is rare or absent in the
Pacific Northwest,
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
, and
Southeastern United States except
Florida.
[''Eumorpha achemon''.]
NatureServe. 2012.
Description
The
wingspan is 87–97 mm. It can be distinguished from all other ''
Eumorpha
''Eumorpha'' (meaning "well formed") is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae. The genus is mostly found in North and South America.
Species
*'' Eumorpha achemon'' ( Drury, 1773)
*'' Eumorpha adamsi'' (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903)
*'' Eumorph ...
'' species by the hindwing upperside being almost uniformly pale pink from the base to the diffuse, dark brown submarginal band.
Eumorpha achemon MHNT CUT 2010 0 392, New Jersey, Newark, USA, male dorsal.jpg, ''Eumorpha achemon'' ♂
Eumorpha achemon MHNT CUT 2010 0 392, New Jersey, Newark, USA, male ventral.jpg, ''Eumorpha achemon'' ♂ △
Larvae are of three forms: light green, reddish orange, and tan to brown.
Biology
Adults are on wing from June to August in one generation in the northern part of the range. There are two generations with adults on wing from May to August in the south. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including ''
Lonicera japonica'',
''Petunia'' × ''atkinsiana'', ''
Philadelphus coronarius
''Philadelphus coronarius'' (sweet mock orange, English dogwood) is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae, native to Southern Europe.
Description
It is a deciduous shrub growing to tall by wide, with toothed leaves and bow ...
'', and ''
Phlox'' species. It is one of five
main
pollinator
A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.
Insects are the maj ...
s of the rare orchid ''
Platanthera praeclara
''Platanthera praeclara'', known as the western prairie fringed orchid and the Great Plains white fringed orchid, is a rare and threatened species of orchid native to North America.
Distribution
Historically, ''Platanthera praeclara'' was found ...
''.
[
They are known to feed on '' Parthenocissus quinquefolia'' and '']Ampelopsis
''Ampelopsis'', commonly known as peppervine or porcelainberry, is a genus of climbing shrubs, in the grape family Vitaceae. The name is derived from the grc, ἅμπελος (''ampelos''), which means "vine". The genus was named in 1803. It is ...
'' species. They are often found on wild and cultivated Vitaceae
The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). The family name is derived from the ge ...
, including grapes, and they can sometimes be found in vineyards feeding on the leaves.[
]
References
External links
*
"Moth Caterpillars Feeding on Virginia Creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia'')"
''Illinois Wildflowers''. Archived January 9, 2009.
Eumorpha
Moths described in 1773
Moths of North America
Taxa named by Dru Drury
{{Philampelini-stub