''Eumorpha labruscae'', the gaudy sphinx, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

in the family

Sphingidae The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species ar ...

Description

Wingspan of – inches (11–12 cm). Its body and

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

forewings are a deep green color. The dorsal hindwings have purple-blue patches, yellow borders, and a red spot near the inner margin. The underside is yellow green and gray purple. Like most moths in the family Sphingidae, caterpillars pupate in burrows. This species was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Eumorpha labruscae MHNT CUT 2010 0 386 Mocambinho Jaiba Minas Gerais Brazil male dorsal.jpg, Male dorsal Eumorpha labruscae MHNT CUT 2010 0 386 Mocambinho Jaiba Minas Gerais Brazil male ventral.jpg, Male ventral Eumorpha labruscae MHNT CUT 2010 0 386 Cali Colombia female dorsal.jpg, Female dorsal Eumorpha labruscae MHNT CUT 2010 0 386 Cali Colombia female ventral.jpg, Female ventral

Life cycle

Female adults lay their eggs on the leaves of the host plant, mainly grapes (''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

''), and vine (''

Cissus ''Cissus'' is a genus of approximately 350 species of lianas (Woody plant, woody vines) in the grape family (Vitaceae). They have a cosmopolitan distribution, though the majority are to be found in the tropics. Decription Extrafloral nectaries ...

'').

Caterpillars Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

hatch and start eating, resembling the head of a snake. When they are ready to

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

te, they climb down their

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

plant and burrow underground. When the pupa is ready, it wiggles to the surface just prior to

eclosion A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

. The newly emerged adults then climb on a plant or some other surface, and pump fluid into their wings to extend them. Females emit

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavi ...

at night, and males fly into the wind to pick up and track the pheromone

odor An odor (American English) or odour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is a smell or a scent caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds generally found in low concentrations that humans and many animals can perceive ...

plume. Adults probably feed on flower

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

Subspecies

*''Eumorpha labruscae labruscae'' *''Eumorpha labruscae yupanquii'' (Kernbach, 1962) (Galápagos Islands)

References

External links

Species description
Eumorpha Moths described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Moths of North America Sphingidae of South America {{Philampelini-stub