''Hyles gallii'', the bedstraw hawk-moth or galium 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 ...

of 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 ...

. The species was first described by S. A. von Rottemburg in 1775.

Similar species

*'' Hyles dahlii'' (Geyer, 1827) *'' Hyles euphorbiae'' (Linnaeus, 1758) - spurge hawk-moth *'' Hyles livornica'' (Esper, 1779) - lined sphinx *'' Hyles nicaea'' (de Prunner, 1798) *'' Hyles tithymali'' (Boisduval, 1832) DNA testing resulted into the following relationships among the Palaearctic widespread species of the genus ''Hyles'':

Distribution

''Hyles gallii'' is present in North America, in Europe to the Arctic Circle, in Central Asia and in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Description

''Hyles gallii'' have a wingspan reaching 55 to 80 mm. In appearance, this species is very similar to '' Hyles euphorbiae''. However, in ''H. gallii'' the red of the hindwings is not so extensive and the olive-colored band on the forewings is not interrupted. :''The following information was taken from the public-domain ''The Illustrated Natural History of British Moths'' (1869) by Edward Newman.''

The Bedstraw Hawk-Moth - Fore wings olive brown, with a broad, irregular, whitish stripe along the middle; hind wings black at the base; then a broad pinkish-white band, quite white near the body, and bright pink about the middle; then a distinct black band, and then a grey margin; thorax and body olive-brown, a white line on each side of the
thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
just at the base of the wings; this line runs on each side along the head just above the eye; sides of the body with black and whitish spots. The
caterpillar 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 ...
is smooth, bluish-green above, inclining to pink beneath, sometimes brown and sometimes black, but always having a pale, almost yellow, line down the middle of the back, and a row of ten conspicuous eye-like yellow spots, on each side; the head is green, brown, or black, according to the colour of the caterpillar, but the horn above the tail is invariably red. … The
chrysalis 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 the ...
is brown, and is found in the sand. The caterpillar feeds in August and September, and the Moth appears about
Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...
.

Hyles gallii MHNT male dos.jpg, Male Hyles gallii MHNT male ventre.jpg, Male Hyles gallii MHNT female dos.jpg, Female Hyles gallii MHNT female ventre.jpg , Female

Biology

These moths can be encountered at dusk feeding on flowers, but they are active by night up to the day light. The flight period extends from May to October usually in one generation, but in good years there can be a second generation. Sphingidae - Hyles gallii - Habitat

The larva can reach a length of 70 to 80 millimeters and are variable. One type is olive green with cream spots and a reddish-brown head, while another version is almost entirely black. The colour of the larva darkens before pupation. They feed on fireweed ('' Chamaenerion angustifolium'', ''

Epilobium montanum ''Epilobium montanum'' or Broad-leaved Willowherb is a species of flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae. Description This species grows to 60 cm high. The leaves are hairless and serrate and ovate-lanceolate. They are mostly p ...

''), on bedstraw (''

Galium verum ''Galium verum'' (lady's bedstraw or yellow bedstraw) is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is widespread across most of Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia from Palestine, Lebanon and Turkey to Japan and Kam ...

'' and ''

Galium mollugo ''Galium mollugo'', common name hedge bedstraw or false baby's breath, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Rubiaceae. It shares the name hedge bedstraw with the related European species, ''Galium album''. Description ''Galium mollugo'' ...

'') and various other plants (''

Clarkia ''Clarkia'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in ''Clarkia''; almost all are native to western North America, though one species (''Clarkia tenella'') is native to South America. ...

'', ''

Fuchsia ''Fuchsia'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants that consists mostly of shrubs or small trees. Almost 110 species of ''Fuchsia'' are recognized; the vast majority are native to South America, but a few occur north through Central America to Mex ...

'', ''

Circaea The ''Circaea'', or enchanter's nightshades, are a genus of flowering plants in the evening primrose family Onagraceae. About two dozen taxa have been described, including eight species. Plants of the genus occur throughout the temperate and bor ...

'', ''

Plantago major ''Plantago major'', the broadleaf plantain, white man's footprint, waybread, or greater plantain, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. The plant is native to Eurasia. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, a ...

'', etc.), many of which are members of

Onagraceae The Onagraceae are a family of flowering plants known as the willowherb family or evening primrose family. They include about 650 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees''Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa''
/ref> They can be found from July to September.

Habitat

This species prefers sandy or

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcare ...

places, sunny heath, plantations, warm forest edges and wherever else it could find the host plants. These moths can be found in the Alps up to 2700 meters above sea level.

Gallery

Sphingidae_-_Hyles_gallii_(caterpillar)_(third_instar).JPG, Caterpillar of ''Hyles gallii'' (young stage) on ''

Epilobium angustifolium ''Chamaenerion angustifolium'' is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the willowherb family, Onagraceae. It is known in North America as fireweed and in Britain and Ireland as rosebay willowherb. It is also known by the synonyms ''Chameri ...

'' Hyles gallii larva.jpg, ''Hyles gallii'' caterpillar, black variant Sphingidae - Hyles gallii (caterpillar).JPG, ''Hyles gallii'' caterpillar Sphingidae - Hyles gallii (pupa).jpg, Pupa of ''Hyles gallii''

References

* A. R. Pittaway: ''The Hawkmoths of the Western Palaearctic''. Harley Books 1993, * P.C. Rougeot, P. Viette, ''Guide des papillons nocturnes d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord'', Delachaux et Niestlé, Lausanne 1978.

External links

Bedstraw Hawk-moth
''UKMoths''
''Hyles gallii''
''Lepiforum e.V.''

''Portal für Schmetterlinge und Raupen'' * Description in Richard South's ''The Moths of the British Isles'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyles Gallii Hyles (moth) Moths described in 1775 Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of Iceland Moths of Japan Moths of North America Taxa named by S. A. von Rottemburg Articles containing video clips