''Laothoe populi'', the poplar hawk-moth, 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
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''. It is found throughout the
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
Th ...
region and the
Near East
The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...
and is one of the most common members of the family in the region.
[Pittaway, 1993, page not cited] It is distinctive due to its habit of resting with its hindwings held further forward than (but still half hidden by) the forewings.
Adults may be seen from May to September, and do not feed, not having a functional proboscis, and can vary in colour from grey to yellow. The larva is green, feeds on poplar and some other tree species, and pupates below ground.
Description
''Laothoe populi'' is a large (
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...
), odd-looking species of moth, due to its habit of resting with its hindwings held further forward than (but still half hidden by) the forewings. The species lacks a
frenulum
A frenulum or frenum (: frenula or frena, from the Latin ''frēnulum'', "little bridle", the diminutive of ''frēnum'') is a small fold of tissue that secures the motion of a mobile organ in the body.
In human anatomy
Frenula on the human ...
joining the wings together, and is said to look like a cluster of dead leaves of the main host,
poplar.
When disturbed, the moth will suddenly reveal a bright orange-red basal patch on the hindwing, possibly as a distraction or startle display. The wings are grey marked with darker grey
fascia
A fascia (; : fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; ) is a generic term for macroscopic membranous bodily structures. Fasciae are classified as superficial, visceral or deep, and further designated according to their anatomical location.
...
but with the greys occasionally replaced by buffish tones, a form more frequent among females than males. There is a white spot at the distal edge of the cell on the forewings.
Gynandromorphs, half female and half male, are common.
[
Poplar hawk-moths have been known to produce a hybrid when mated with the eyed hawkmoth, '']Smerinthus ocellatus
''Smerinthus ocellatus'', the eyed hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was Species description, first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Th ...
''; the hybrid has eyes on the hindwings.
Life cycle
Joined moths.JPG, Mating pair showing both colour variants
Laothoe_populi_ovi.jpg, Egg
Poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi) late instar larva.jpg, Late instar larva
Poplar hawk-moth.jpg, Larva
Poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi populi).jpg, Showing hindwing held forward of forewing
Poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi populi) 2.jpg, Imago
In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the ''imaginal'' stage ("imaginal" being "imago" in adjective form), the stage in wh ...
, showing orange-red basal patch on hindwing
Poplar hawk-moth (Laothoe populi populi) 3.jpg, Imago, lateral view
One or two broods are produced each year and adults can be seen from May to September. The adults do not feed. The species overwinters as a 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 ...
.
Egg
The egg is large, spherical, pale green, and glossy, and is laid singly or in pairs on the underside of leaves of the host plant.[ Females lay up to 200 eggs.
]
Larva
On first hatching the larva (or "hornworm") is pale green with small yellow tubercles and a cream-coloured tail horn. Later, it develops yellow diagonal stripes on its sides, and pink spiracles. Individuals feeding on willows may become quite heavily spotted with red. Others are more bluish white with cream stripes and tubercules. They are stout bodied, and grow to .[
]
Pupa
The larva pupates in an earthen cell below the surface, near its host plant. It has a short cremaster.[
]
Adult
Although they emerge late at night or early in the morning, the moth flies starting from the second night and is strongly attracted to light.
Host plants
''Laothoe populi'' feeds mainly on poplar and aspen
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus.
Species
These species are called aspens:
* ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'')
* ''Populus da ...
, but sometimes on willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
, alder
Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...
, apple
An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
, tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
, birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
, elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...
, oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
and ash. The food source used by the moth often depends on location.[
]
Subspecies
*''Laothoe populi populi''
*''Laothoe populi lappona'' (Rangnow, 1935)
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
Poplar Hawk-moth on ''UKMoths''
* Description in Richard South ''The Moths of the British Isles''
''Lepiforum e.V.''
{{Taxonbar , from=Q782434
Laothoe (moth)
Moths described in 1758
Moths of Asia
Moths of Europe
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus