''Langia zenzeroides'', the apple hawkmoth, is a
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...
of the family
Sphingidae
The Sphingidae are a family of moths ( Lepidoptera) 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, ...
. It was described by
Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore FZS (13 May 1830 – 10 May 1907) was a British entomologist and illustrator. He produced six volumes of ''Lepidoptera Indica'' and a catalogue of the birds in the collection of the East India Company.
It has been said that Mo ...
in 1872.
Distribution
It is found in northern India, eastern and southern
China,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, northern
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, northern
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
,
Japan and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
.
Description
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...
is 100–156 mm.
Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides MHNT CUT 2010 0 Khasi Hills Assam female dorsal.jpg, Female ''Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides'', dorsal view
Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides MHNT CUT 2010 0 Khasi Hills Assam female ventral.jpg, Female ''Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides'', ventral view
Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides MHNT CUT 2010 0 Khasi Hills Assam male dorsal.jpg, Male ''Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides'', dorsal view
Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides MHNT CUT 2010 0 Khasi Hills Assam male ventral.jpg, Male ''Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides'', ventral view
Biology
In northern China, there is one generation per year, with adults on wing from April to May. In Korea, adults have been recorded from late April to mid-May and in Thailand, the main flight period is January and February.
The larvae have been recorded on ''
Prunus persica
''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds.
Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...
'', but feed on most woody
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), '' Sorbu ...
species, such as cherries, apples, pears and medlars.
Subspecies
*''Langia zenzeroides zenzeroides'' (northern India, eastern and southern China, South Korea, northern Thailand and northern Vietnam)
*''Langia zenzeroides nawai''
Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Japan)
*''Langia zenzeroides formosana''
Clark, 1936 (mountains of Taiwan)
References
Smerinthini
Moths described in 1872
Moths of Japan
Taxa named by Frederic Moore
{{Smerinthini-stub